Jury Instructions

When an injury case goes to trial in Florida, the jury does not decide it on a hunch. The judge reads the jury a set of written rules. Those rules are the Florida Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases.

They tell the jury what it must find before it can say someone is responsible. They tell the jury what it may award when someone is.

This hub explains the instructions that matter most to injured people and families. Each page quotes the instruction by number, word for word, and then explains it in plain English. We also cover how the claim is pleaded, what the other side usually argues, and what to do now.

Why read the jury's rules before you ever see a jury? Because the rules show what a case is really about. They tell you what has to be proven and who has to prove it. That helps you ask better questions the first time you talk to a lawyer.

The quotes on these pages come from the Florida Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases, updated September 16, 2026. Judges adapt the instructions to each case, and the Florida Supreme Court amends them from time to time. This hub is general information. It is not legal advice, and it does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Every case turns on its own facts, and deadlines can be short.

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