How to Add Audio/Video Evidence to Your Timeline
Video and audio evidence can be a very important piece of evidence. There are different ways to show to the judge your video evidence and it depends on whether your hearing is taking place virtually or in person.
Video and audio files cannot be uploaded to your Timeline for the Trial Presentation as the Trial Presentation is normally printed and submitted to the court. Remember, any evidence that you would like the judge to see, you will have to show the other party before showing the judge.
If your hearing is virtual:
- You can upload your video evidence to Google Drive, Dropbox, or another video-sharing website. Once you have saved the video on a video-sharing website, copy the video link and paste the shareable link onto the Timeline.
- The shareable link will be part of your Trial Presentation. At the hearing, the judge can watch the video using the link you have provided.
- If the URL received is long, see if the video-sharing website has a shorten version you can include.
- Please note, you may want to provide password protection on the video as you don't want the other party to be upset if the video is made public.
- If the judge doesn't decide your case at the hearing, the judge will have access to your evidence packet (and the link to the video) after the hearing and will be able to review your video evidence again after the hearing.
- Can I text my video evidence to the other party? This will be up to the judge to decide whether texting your evidence beforehand meets this requirement.
- In the past, some judges have rejected video submissions via files on USB sticks but have accepted accessing links to video-sharing websites.
If your hearing is in person:
- You can follow the same procedure for virtual hearings listed above if there is a requirement to submit your evidence to the court and the other party before the hearing.
- If there is no requirement to submit your evidence to the court or the other party before the hearing, you can ask the judge to play the video on your phone at the hearing. Make sure to also show the video to the other party before you show it to the judge.
- If the judge doesn't decide your case at the hearing, the judge will have access to your evidence packet (and the link to the video if you include it) after the hearing and will be able to review your video evidence again after the hearing.
Frequently asked questions?
- Are my video recordings are legal? This will be up to the judge to decide based on the laws of your state.