More personal injury cases to be heard remotely with new technology
More cases of personal injury can be heard remotely with new technology
Pictured: a screenshot of a moot court conducted using the Pexip Infinity platform. Click here for the full video
Personal injury incidents involving witnesses may occur after the introduction of more advanced technology, the Court Service of Ireland announced.
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been difficulties with the Pexip platform used for remote hearings in cases involving witnesses rather than just affidavits.
With the Pexip platform, it was not possible to have the witness and his questioner on the screen at the same time, nor was it possible for someone who wanted to intervene to express his / her wish.
However, the Courts Service is now rolling out the advanced Pexip Infinity platform that addresses these challenges and has been successfully tested in a personal injury dispute.
There have been around 5,000 virtual court hearings over the past year, but the pandemic has disproportionately impacted personal injury litigation due to the number of claims that are based on oral rather than affidavit.
An increasing number of court cases are now taking place in person, but the court service believes that remote hearings still play an important role – and “hybrid hearings” could be a model for the future.
Courts Service CEO Angela Denning said: “There are areas of judicial work that are opening up with the lifting of government restrictions, particularly those related to travel.
“This includes an increased number of family law cases examining personal applications and some witness cases in the High Court.
“Our priority remains to keep the courts open and safe. As long as there is social distance, we have to manage the number of people in our buildings.”
She added: “Based on initial feedback, our experience so far and that of the judiciary, I would envision a future of ‘hybrid courts’.
“A mix of physical and digital dishes that would be suitable to meet the different needs of our different users. Covid restrictions allowed the disruption courts to accept changes. “
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