How Long Does a Civil Lawsuit Take in Brevard County?

Rule 2.250(a)(1)(B) states that most civil cases should be completed within set periods. The standards are 30 months for complex cases, 18 months for other jury cases, 12 months for other nonjury cases, and 95 days for small claims cases. For circuit and county civil cases other than small claims, the period runs from service on the last defendant or 120 days after the action began, whichever comes first. Time when a case is on inactive status is not counted.

These are court management targets, not promises to any party. The rule describes them as presumptively reasonable and acknowledges that complex cases can cause reasonable delays.

Rule 1.200 of the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure puts those standards into practice in most circuit and county civil cases. Not later than 120 days after a case begins, the court must assign it to a streamlined, general, or complex track, either by an initial case management order or by an administrative order of the circuit's chief judge. In streamlined and general cases, the case management order sets a projected or actual trial period and deadlines for service, discovery, motions, and alternative dispute resolution, while complex cases follow Rule 1.201.

Settlement, motions, the number of parties, and the court's calendar all affect how long a particular case lasts. Easler Law PLLC's civil litigation practice page describes its Brevard County work.