Bernard Tully Personal Injury Lawyer. Phone: 412-281-8700
Here is another common question we get daily from clients. Last week, I got a call from a client who said, “Hey Bernie, I need to be honest with you. I was in a car accident and needed to get surgery. But I have two criminal convictions and don’t want the other side to know about it.” He asked, “will my criminal record affect the jury’s decision?”
How Can My Criminal Record Affect The Jury’s Decision?
My answer was – you can’t hide it from the other side. They are going to find out. But the good news is not all criminal convictions result in a jury’s decision no matter how recent it was. For example, if it was a DUI, misdemeanor, or an assault the jury won’t hear about it. The courts instead consider something called – crimen falsi – which means crimes involving dishonestly, burglary or theft where lying is involved. If you haven’t been convicted of anything along those lines, you are in good shape.
Bottom line — you must be honest. One way or another the other side is going to find out. The worst thing that can happen is if the other side were to expose your information to a jury. At that point, you might as well say lights out to your car accident case because you aren’t going anywhere with it.
Our main focus is honesty. We always preach it. We are passionate about trying to help any injured person or family member with their auto accident case. Questions about the blog? CALL US!
Bernard Tully Pittsburgh Car Accident Lawyer. Phone: 412-281-8700 and 1-800-518-0050