How do you avoid a yes or no question in court?

Give the answer in your own words, and if a question can’t be truthfully answered with a “yes” or “no” answer, explain the answer. If an attorney demands a “yes” or “no” answer and you can not give one, let the judge know that, and explain that to do so would be misleading to the court or inaccurate.

Can I refuse to answer a question under oath?

Can I refuse to answer questions at a deposition? In most cases, a deponent cannot refuse to answer a question at a deposition unless the answer would reveal privileged or irrelevant private information or the court previously ordered that the information cannot be revealed (source).

Can a witness ask question to the opposing lawyer?

Each party to a criminal trial has the chance to call witnesses on his behalf. The party who calls the witness to testify goes first and asks the witness questions. This is called direct examination. In direct examination, the attorney is not allowed to ask leading questions.

Why does the questioning attorney limit the answers to one word?

So the questioning attorney’s efforts to limit the answers to the single word is an attempt to take back a bit of power from the witness. Some witnesses give in and just be led at that point, because it is easier than fighting counsel.

How do you answer yes and no questions in court?

“Yes (or No), And…” Sometimes there really is a “Yes” or “No” answer, but it does not stand on its own. There are two parts to these questions: what is being literally asked and what is being implied. Just answering “Correct” to that question leaves any listener or reader of the testimony with an implication that is incomplete.

Why does the questioning attorney want to control the witness?

The questioning attorney wants, maybe needs, to control the witness in order to build useful testimony in a deposition or to highlight useful testimony in trial cross-examination. T he more the witness is talking, the less control the attorney has.

What do witnesses need to know about yes/no questions?

But what witnesses need to understand is that, at its extremes, this preference for yes/no leading questions can lead to an insistence, “Please, just answer the question ‘Yes’ or ‘No.‘” Sometimes, for dramatic effect (or intimidation), the attorney will add in a measure of condescension: “It is a simple question. You understand it, don’t you?