Do I Have To Live In The State Where I Appeal My Judgment?

No. As long as the court has jurisdiction over your dispute, where you live does not affect whether you can appeal a judgment.

Jurisdiction & Venue

Where you live may have an impact on legal issues known as jurisdiction and venue.

Jurisdiction has to do with whether the court has the power or authority to hear your case in the first place.

Venue is related to which court location (city or county) is most appropriate for hearing your matter.

By the time your case reaches the appeal stage, the issues of jurisdiction and venue have usually been taken care of, unless one of the parties is challenging those decisions on appeal.

No Physical Presence

From a practical standpoint, an appeal does not require a client’s physical presence in the state. A client is generally not allowed to testify once the case reaches an appeal stage. By the time a case is on appeal, all the evidence has been taken, parties and witnesses have testified, and the trial court has issued a ruling. On appeal, that “record” from the trial court is transmitted to the appeal court, and written and oral arguments are presented to the court. But no further presence of a party is required on appeal.

Douglas N. Kiger, Attorney at Law

Blado Kiger Bolan, Tacoma, Wash.