Exact Answer: 2 To 3 Years
A lawsuit can be described as a case or a suit filed in a court of law. a case can be filed by a person or an organization against a person or an organization. The lawsuit is brought in cases of civil nature.
The party who files the suit and claims to have suffered damage due to the actions of the defendant is known as the plaintiff. On the other hand, the party defending themselves against the claims of the plaintiff is known as the defendant. A case in a civil court of law may also include the state, either as a plaintiff or a defendant.
How Long Does A Lawsuit Take?
| Type of Civil Lawsuit | Length of the Lawsuit |
| Average Lawsuit | 2 to 3 years |
| Medical Malpractice | 1 to 3 years |
| Personal Injury | 3 to 4 years |
| Business Malpractice | 1 to 2 years |
| Patent Issues | 2 to 3 years |
There are several types of lawsuits that can be filed. Some prominent ones among these are medical malpractice, business malpractice, disputes between a landlord and a tenant, personal injury, no delivery of purchases made, and patent issues. All the lawsuits filed take different amounts of time depending upon their seriousness.
On average, a civil lawsuit takes about 2 to 3 years in a court of law. However, some lawsuits might remain trapped in the courts for 8 to 10 years.
Medical malpractice is a serious issue that has been addressed with full diligence as it directly influences the lives of the common people. Lawsuits of this kind take 1 to 3 years to be solved.
Personal injury cases are those relating to injury caused to people by rash driving or any other reason that is not classified as criminal. Lawsuits of such kind take 3 to 4 years to be solved.
Business malpractice is treated in urgency by the courts of law because the malpractice may have affected thousands of lives that cannot be let go. Cases of this kind are pronounced within 1 to 2 years.
Patent issues are cases revolving around the use and violation of registered patents. Such cases take 2 to 3 years to be solved.
Why Does A Lawsuit Take So Long?
Justice is not an easy process but a tough one. When judges would be delivering the judgments, they have to take care that they do no injustice and maintain that the violators of the law are kept in check. Punishment should be handed out to the real perpetrators and the law of the land should be upheld.
The entire process of a lawsuit can be divided into certain steps. These include filing the complaint, the answer to the complaint, the discovery process, mediation, and trial.
The case begins with the filing of the complaint in a court of law. The plaintiff names the defendant and states the complaint. A complaint has to be covered by the law so the court can pronounce its judgment.
Once the plaintiff files the case, it is followed by an answer from the defendant. The defendant can either accept, deny or say they are not much aware of the situation.
After the defendant files their answer, it is succeeded by the discovery process. In this process, both parties in a case share their information. This can be done by written findings, inquiries, and sharing of reports.
Once discovery is over, the judge can order their judgment. However, to avoid that, both parties have the option to go for mediation. If they do not do so, the verdict delivered by the judge would be final.
Conclusion
A lawsuit takes 2 to 3 years to be solved and closed. However, lawsuits regarding business malpractice and medical malpractice are solved in 1 to 3 years and 1 to 4 years respectively. In contrast to this, personal injury and patent lawsuits take more time at 3 to 4 years and 2 to 3 years respectively.
Solving lawsuits is a tough process. Law has to be upheld and it has to be made sure that innocent people are not punished. Delivering justice is a time taking process and it cannot be sped up to suit needs.
