Jury Duty

If you have received a summons, a case is expected to proceed to a jury trial on the date you are asked to appear. Whether the parties will change their minds before that date or even the morning of the jury trial, is something the court cannot predict. You must contact the court the evening before to receive a message as to whether the trial is still scheduled and whether you need to appear as indicated on your summons.

Complete the questionnaire and return it to the court within ten (10) days.

In order to keep jurors updated on any status change of a scheduled jury trial, the jury messages are updated as soon as there is any change. For your convenience, you may call the juror hotline at anytime to confirm that your trial is still scheduled by calling (440) 461-6500, extension 178. You may also call the court and speak to a clerk to receive the same information during regular office hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.). Because the status of jury trials may change as late as 4:00 p.m. the day before the scheduled date, you should call the court the day before (late afternoon or evening) to confirm that your appearance is necessary. You will not receive payment if the jury trial has been canceled.

A temporary deferral of jury duty can be granted under certain circumstances.

If your service at this time presents a hardship, you must submit a request, in writing, to the Lyndhurst Municipal Court, 5301 Mayfield Road, Lyndhurst, Ohio 44124, or by fax: (440) 442-1910.

You must submit your request for deferral as early as possible following receipt of your summons for jury duty.

If you have a medical excuse, you must submit a doctor’s statement containing condition and prognosis.

Remember, in most cases, this is not an exemption, but only a temporary postponement of jury duty.

If you believe you may be exempt from serving, you should note the reason on the back of your jury summons and return it to the Court.

Under Ohio law, a prospective juror may be excused from jury duty if:

• the prospective juror is over seventy-five years of age, and the juror requests to be excused;
• the individual’s spouse or near relative has recently died or is dangerously ill;
• the individual is a cloistered member of a religious organization;
• the prospective juror has a mental or physical condition that causes the prospective juror to be incapable of performing jury service;
• jury service would otherwise cause undue or extreme physical or financial hardship to the prospective juror; or
• the prospective juror is an active member of a recognized Amish sect and requests to be excused. (Ohio Rev. Code 2313.14)

The following are disqualified, and thus may not serve as jurors:

Persons who are no longer residents of the Lyndhurst Municipal Court jurisdiction: Gates Mills, Highland Heights, Lyndhurst, Mayfield Heights, Mayfield Village, and Richmond Heights.

Persons who have served as jurors in a court of record in Cuyahoga County within the past two years. (Ohio Rev. Code. §§ 1901.25 and 2313.21)

You are disqualified from service if you have been convicted of a felony and are currently on probation or are serving a community control sanction.

If you believe you may be exempt from serving, you should note the reason on a separate sheet of paper, and return it to the court with your completed Juror Questionnaire. 

If you are not currently a resident of the Lyndhurst Municipal Court jurisdiction (Gates Mills, Highland Heights, Lyndhurst, Mayfield Heights, Mayfield Village, and Richmond Heights), please return your information with a form showing your current address.

The length of jury duty jurors is normally one to two days. However, if you are serving on a jury and the trial is not completed by the end of the week, you will be required to continue to report until the trial is concluded. You will be advised if the trial is expected to last past the end of the week, so that you may make appropriate arrangements.

On your first day, jurors should report to the Lyndhurst Municipal Court located in the lower level Court Annex of the Lyndhurst City Hall no later than 8:45 a.m. unless the Judge instructs you differently.

You should plan on spending at least part of your stay outside the courtroom waiting to be called for a trial. You may bring reading material and other appropriate items to occupy your time when you are not in trial.

Once the trial begins, the judge may ask some preliminary questions of the prospective jurors, and the attorneys will interview each juror until both parties have selected the final panel to hear the case. This initial process of selection usually takes an hour or so. The remaining jurors will be excused once the panel has been selected.

The trial will last until the jury has reached its verdict. During the trial you will be given breaks. An hour is usually allowed for lunch.

Announcements of closings of government offices, including the Lyndhurst Municipal Court, are made over radio and television stations, the same as with school closings. We will also post closings on our website. We will also tweet closings. You can follow us on Twitter: @LyndhurstMuni

Telephone Chief Bailiff Officer Michael Harvey (440-461-6500 ext. 260) and advise him of your situation. He will either answer your questions or inform the Court accordingly.