Legal Definitions - Venue

Venue refers to the specific geographical location, such as a particular county or judicial district, where a civil lawsuit or criminal trial should properly be heard. It determines the most appropriate physical court for a case, typically based on factors like where the key events giving rise to the dispute occurred, where the property in question is located, or where the parties involved reside or conduct business.

• Example 1: Car Accident Lawsuit

  Imagine a driver from Dallas, Texas, is visiting Austin, Texas, and gets into a car accident with an Austin resident. The accident occurs on a specific street in Travis County, Austin. If the Dallas driver decides to sue the Austin resident for damages, the proper venue for that lawsuit would most likely be a state court within Travis County, Texas. This is because Travis County is where the central event of the dispute—the car accident—took place.

• Example 2: Criminal Theft Case

  Suppose an individual commits a burglary at a store located in Springfield, Illinois, which is part of Sangamon County. The individual is later apprehended by police in a different county, such as Peoria County. For the criminal trial related to the burglary, the proper venue would be a court in Sangamon County, Illinois. This is because Sangamon County is the geographical location where the alleged crime was committed, making it the appropriate place for the prosecution to proceed.

• Example 3: Contract Dispute with Forum Selection Clause

  Consider two businesses: Company A is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and Company B is based in Atlanta, Georgia. They enter into a contract for services, and a specific clause in their agreement states that "any disputes arising under this contract shall be litigated exclusively in the state courts of Fulton County, Georgia." If a disagreement later arises, even if some of the services were performed in Florida, the parties have contractually agreed that the proper venue for any lawsuit would be a court in Fulton County, Georgia. This demonstrates how parties can sometimes pre-determine venue through a contractual agreement.