How Long Does It Take To Get “To Court” In Vermont?

In most Superior Courts in Vermont, a civil suit will take between one and two years after filing before your case is in front of a Judge and Jury after a lawsuit is filed. This is what is commonly viewed as being “in Court”.  In rare circumstances, it is possible that it will take longer. Cases tried before judges without a jury can sometimes be quicker. Each county has a separate Superior Court staff, and the wait time varies depending on the efficiency of the Court staff and the volume of cases in the county. Usually, cases are dealt with on a “first come, first served” basis and claimants essentially wait their turn.

Civil cases that are filed in Federal Court can sometimes be even quicker but there are certain standards that first have to be met for Federal Court jurisdiction to apply and most civil cases are not eligible to be in Federal Court. Federal Court requires what is called “Early Neutral Evaluation” which encourages litigants to attempt settlement sooner than State Court.

There are urban legends about how cases take five to ten years to actually reach a conclusion, and this may be true in other states. However, in Vermont, it would be extremely unusual for a case to take that long after filing to reach a conclusion.

We handle tort law (personal injury) cases from Bennington to St. Albans, Vermont, the Northeast Kingdom to Brattleboro and all points in between. If we can be of service, please feel free to click on our “Contact Us’ page at winburnlaw.com.