Being a juror in a civil case - expenses

Atlantic Dawn

If you are a juror in a civil case are those serving on the jury under the very same rules as a criminal case regarding not being given expenses or any financial incentive for loss of earnings and expenses incurred to attend court each day?

I've no problem doing jury duty in a criminal case and see this as a key part of the justice system in this country but in a civil case the plantiff is bankrolling their day in court for probably €15-20k a day and if they are successful will come out with a sum likely in the hundreds of thousands or millions yet I believe the jury is expected to get nothing in assisting this process, surely they should be given a modest daily allowance to cover this action from the plantiffs contribution to court costs.

Madd002

If you are selected as a juror for the case your employer pays you your wage, you have to submit the letter to your HR department. Lunch for jurors is usually booked in a local hotel and covered so you don't pay.

Atlantic Dawn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122814318#Comment_122814318

Yes but if you are self employed your expenses are not covered, also someone out of work or retired is out of pocket all to the benefit of the person taking the case.

Madd002

Sorry you didn't mention any of that in original post, you could ask to be exempt if you want, I got exempt years ago when one was in school and I also had a toddler with no one available to mind them and they agreed no problem.

Atlantic Dawn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122814359#Comment_122814359

Yes it was more really the fairness of asking jurors to be present in a case where so much money will be thrown around and they will not even get basic transport costs to attend yet are central to the case.

Madd002

Just one of those things I suppose, in saying that I was a witness to something years ago and had to go to court for a day. I wasn't called during the case as they agreed on settlement during lunch break. I got reimbursed for loss of days pay plus travel and lunch costs. Their Solicitor paid me by cheque.

mondeoman72

You can ask to be excused.

All other excusals

If it’s not possible for you to do jury service you can ask to be excused. You should only do this in exceptional circumstances, for example:

• you have a serious illness or disability that prevents you from doing jury service
• you’re a full time carer of someone with an illness or disability
• you’re a new parent and cannot arrange alternative childcare
• you are self-employed and jury service would seriously impact your business

You can also ask to be excused from jury service if you have performed jury service within the previous 3 years.

REF: https://services.courts.ie/taking-action/jury-service/seeking-to-be-excused-from-jury-service

SVI40

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122814345#Comment_122814345

Sometimes, life is a bitch.

Peregrinus

There are very few juries in civil cases, and none at all in the big-money commercial cases.

Buddy Bubs

Its pretty handy to get out of jury duty anyway.

I did jury duty in 2018 for a week as I was genuinely interested in seeing how courts work and was selected for a case which was interesting.

I've written letters for work colleagues that wanted to get out of it, I couldn't force them out of it but they didn't want to do it for various reasons. Always accepted.

Marcusm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122814678#Comment_122814678

I suspect the question arises from the Julia Hand/McGregor case where a jury is present. It’s not something I thought of before but while there is an element of civic duty in a criminal case, it seems that the jury in a personal injury or other civil case is the only one not being paid!

coylemj

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122815174#Comment_122815174

This the OP's point precisely. In a civil case, you typically have two well-off plaintiffs having a public ding-dong in the High Court. Everyone is getting paid, including the witnesses who get their expenses paid by the party which calls them, see post #6. But nobody pays the jury.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122816308#Comment_122816308

It’s a fair point especially if you’re self employed and are essentially losing 2-3 weeks of income - personally I’d never serve in a civil trial if called

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122814318#Comment_122814318

You don't get lunch on the days when you have to attend but haven't been selected to sit on a jury. Although usually you'd be released before lunchtime on those days, there's no guarantee.

Your employer will almost certainly not pay you overtime, commission, shift pay or anything else which is not part of your basic pay.

You could have to pay substantially more to travel to the court than you would have to go to work on that day (and may still have to travel from court to work, if released for the day) and you don't get that back.

It's a very archaic system tbh, especially given that trials can go on for weeks. No wonder so many people use spurious excuses to get out of it, or just don't turn up.

@Oscar_Madison you don't know and don't get to choose what sort of case it will be, you are just told to turn up at the court on X day at Y time and each day thereafter until excused. If you're self-employed you can usually get out of it but this should be requested when you get the summons.

Ray Palmer

I got called for jury duty and was self employed so I just got my accountant to say I would lose money if in a jury so I was excused.