Legal Definitions - broadside objection

Broadside Objection

A broadside objection is a legal challenge raised in court or during a deposition that is overly general and fails to specify the precise legal reason for challenging a question, piece of evidence, or statement. Instead of citing a specific rule of evidence or procedure (such as "hearsay," "lack of foundation," or "leading question"), an attorney making a broadside objection might simply state "Objection!" or "Irrelevant!" without further explanation. Courts generally disfavor these types of objections because they do not provide enough information for the judge to make an informed ruling or for the opposing attorney to understand and potentially correct the issue.

• Example 1: Courtroom Testimony

  During a trial, the prosecutor asks a witness, "What did you see happen next?" The defense attorney stands up and simply says, "Objection!" without stating any specific legal grounds like "hearsay," "speculation," or "lack of personal knowledge."

  Explanation: This is a broadside objection because the defense attorney has not provided the court with a specific legal reason for challenging the question. The judge is left to guess whether the objection is based on the form of the question, the relevance of the answer, or some other evidentiary rule, making it difficult to rule on the objection effectively.

• Example 2: Document Production in Discovery

  In a civil lawsuit, one party requests a wide range of documents from the other side. The responding attorney objects to the entire request by stating, "Objection, this request is unduly burdensome and overbroad!" without explaining which specific categories of documents are problematic, why they are burdensome, or how they exceed the scope of discovery.

  Explanation: This constitutes a broadside objection because it provides a general complaint ("unduly burdensome and overbroad") without the necessary specificity. It doesn't help the requesting party understand how to narrow their request or which specific documents are truly difficult to produce, hindering the discovery process.

• Example 3: Deposition Questioning

  During a deposition, an attorney asks a witness a question. The opposing counsel interjects with, "Objection, form!" but offers no further clarification as to what is wrong with the question's structure, such as whether it is "leading," "compound," "vague," or "argumentative."

  Explanation: This is a broadside objection because "form" is a general category that encompasses many specific issues. By not specifying the precise defect in the question's form, the objecting attorney fails to provide enough information for the questioning attorney to rephrase the question appropriately, potentially prolonging the deposition unnecessarily.