judge's decision

lililarion · #1 09-15-2003, 10:11 AM

I have hired a lawyer to fight a civil case for me in Puerto Plata and he has been to three audiencias and the case is apparently finished( as of February 17th, 2003), but so far the judge has not made his decision. Is there a time limit to this part of the procedure? Is there a way to hasten it?

Fabio J. Guzman · #2 09-16-2003, 08:10 PM

The Judge for Civil Matters in Puerto Plata has a huge backlog of cases. It's not really his fault. There are just too many civil cases in the area for just one judge but not enough funds to create another Civil Chamber.

It usually takes 4 to 6 months for a ruling on a simple civil case after final briefs have been filed. If the case is complex, it will take a lot longer. We have a particularly difficult suit which has been waiting for a ruling for more than two years.

lililarion · #3 09-17-2003, 08:58 AM

Fabio, thanks for your reply, and I appreciate that the judge has too much on his plate. My case is very simple and the defendant did not even have a defense. Seven months have passed since the last hearing. Can I expect a decision soon?

If the judge finds in my favor and my opponent has to pay me some money, how can he be forced to do that? Does anyone know of anyone who has been forced to pay through a court decision and how it happened?

lililarion · #4 09-20-2003, 01:26 PM

I see a lot of people have an opinion about pornography in DR but noone has any stories about wrongdoers being forced to make restitution for their bad or criminal behaviour. I would really like to see some responses from anyone who has at least second hand knowledge of this.

XanaduRanch · #5 09-20-2003, 01:45 PM

It's because one is practiced easily and often here in the Dominican Republic, while the other only with great difficulty and hardly ever at all.

I'll leave it to you to guess which is which. People speak from experience. LOL.