Rule 3.120.Communication with Jurors
Current through August 1, 2026 · Last verified September 12, 2026
Full Text of Rule 3.120
Plain-English Summary
The baseline is a ban on reaching out. Parties, witnesses, and court employees must not initiate contact with any juror concerning a case that juror was sworn to try. Because UTCR 1.110 defines a party as the litigant or the litigant's attorney, the ban covers counsel and client alike, and it extends to the court's own staff. Its subject-matter limit is the case the juror was sworn to try, and its verb is initiate.
Two exceptions follow. The first is the ordinary business of trial: contact that is necessary during trial is outside the ban, which is what lets the proceeding function. The second is narrow and supervised. A party may have contact with a juror only after a sufficient showing to the court and on the court's order, and the contact then takes place in the presence of the court and the opposing parties. There is no version of this exception that happens privately.
The order is available on two grounds. One is a reasonable ground to believe there has been a mistake in announcing or recording a verdict. The other is a reasonable ground to believe that a juror or the jury has been guilty of fraud or misconduct sufficient to justify setting aside or modifying the verdict or judgment. Both are framed around a defect serious enough to change the outcome, not around curiosity about how the jury reasoned.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I talk to jurors after the verdict?
Not on your own initiative. The rule bars parties, witnesses, and court employees from initiating contact with a juror about the case the juror was sworn to try.
The route that exists runs through the court: a sufficient showing, an order, and contact in the presence of the court and the opposing parties.
What do I have to show to get permission to contact a juror?
One of two things, plus a sufficient showing to the court. Either a reasonable ground to believe there was a mistake in announcing or recording the verdict, or a reasonable ground to believe a juror or the jury was guilty of fraud or misconduct serious enough to justify setting aside or modifying the verdict or judgment.
Does the rule apply to court staff?
Yes. Court employees are named alongside parties and witnesses in the ban on initiating contact.
What if a juror approaches me?
The rule is written around initiating contact, so it addresses the approach you make rather than the one a juror makes.
The cautious course is to tell the court, since the permitted route for substantive contact is one the court supervises.
If the court grants permission, how does the contact happen?
In the presence of the court and the opposing parties. The rule allows the contact only on those terms, so there is no private interview even after an order is entered.