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California Code Of Civil Procedure Section 607

Legal Research Home > California Lawyer > Code of Civil Procedure > California Code Of Civil Procedure Section 607

When the jury has been sworn, the trial must proceed in the
following order, unless the court, for special reasons otherwise
directs:
   1. The plaintiff may state the issue and his case;
   2. The defendant may then state his defense, if he so wishes, or
wait until after plaintiff has produced his evidence;
   3. The plaintiff must then produce the evidence on his part;
   4. The defendant may then open his defense, if he has not done so
previously;
   5. The defendant may then produce the evidence on his part;
   6. The parties may then respectively offer rebutting evidence
only, unless the court, for good reason, in furtherance of justice,
permit them to offer evidence upon their original case;
   7. When the evidence is concluded, unless the case is submitted to
the jury on either side or on both sides without argument, the
plaintiff must commence and may conclude the argument;
   8. If several defendants having separate defenses, appear by
different counsel, the court must determine their relative order in
the evidence and argument;
   9. The court may then charge the jury.

Last modified: January 12, 2009