HighGoalHighDreams
Courtier
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2005
- Messages
- 662
- City
- Unspecified
- Country
- United States
If I understand it correctly he demands a trial which happens to be a jury trial but I could be mistaken.
The demand was specifically for a jury trial, as opposed to be a bench trial (where the judge determines the outcome without a jury).
However, it is necessary for both sides to "demand" (a legal term of art) a jury trial at this stage in the proceedings to preserve that right, in case this is how they wish to ultimately decide the case. It makes little sense observing the process from the outside, but this is in accordance with the rules of civil procedure. While the language is something like "I demand a trial by jury!" the actual meaning is something close to, "If it comes down to it, I reserve my right to be tried by a jury of my peers [er, no pun intended for Andrew] rather than settle or be tried in a bench trial."
The (simplified) reason for this is that either side can always say "I want to settle" or "I want a bench trial," but you cannot simply say "I want a trial by jury" at any point in the proceedings if you have not preserved that right in the previous court filings. It is a mere formality and not indicative of whether Andrew's team does, in fact, want a trial by jury.