What Goes On in a Mental Injury Deposition?

Personal injury cases are difficult and often frustrating, which is why the help of an experienced Irvine personal injury attorney may be helpful, especially if your case involves a claim of mental or emotional injuries.

The Credibility Contest

There are specific issues that come into play if you claim damages for mental or emotional injuries. Cases such as these are “credibility contests” in which your case is highly dependent on the truth of your (the plaintiff’s) testimony. It may be tempting, especially in the contentious process of a personal injury lawsuit, to “spin” the facts in order to make your side look the best, but depositions hold a higher standard of truth and accuracy, and it may be damaging to your case if you omit crucial facts or try to exaggerate what happened. Your Irvine personal injury attorney will tell you that you will suffer a loss of credibility and the results may not be in your favor.

What you say in your deposition will be examined extremely closely and evaluated against the information and evidence supplied by other witnesses, both lay and expert, as well as information from your own mental examinations, your medical records, and school and work records.

Avoid Everyday Language

For this reason, it is a good idea to avoid “casual” language of the sort you would answer in your everyday life. If a friend asks you how you’re doing, you might say “fine,” but this answer will not serve you in a deposition. Try to avoid casual and simplified answers, and give honest and detailed ones.

The better informed and better advised you are, the better you are likely to fare in your claim for the damages you are rightfully owed. For more information about what to do in a personal injury claim, contact Irvine personal injury attorney Samer Habbas today at 888-848-5084 to schedule a free initial consultation.