Rule 2.509 – Trial by Jury or by Court

May 13, 2021 | Civil Procedure, Michigan

(A) By Jury. If a jury has been demanded as provided in MCR 2.508, the action or appeal must be designated in the court records as a jury action. The trial of all issues so demanded must be by jury unless

(1) the parties agree otherwise by stipulation in writing or on the record, or

(2) the court on motion or on its own initiative finds that there is no right to trial by jury of some or all of those issues.

(B) By Court. Issues for which a trial by jury has not been demanded as provided in MCR 2.508 will be tried by the court. In the absence of a demand for a jury trial of an issue as to which a jury demand might have been made of right, the court in its discretion may order a trial by jury of any or all issues.

(C) Sequence of Trial. In an action in which some issues are to be tried by jury and others by the court, or in which a number of claims, cross-claims, defenses, counterclaims, or third-party claims involve a common issue, the court may determine the sequence of trial of the issues, preserving the constitutional right to trial by jury according to the basic nature of every issue for which a demand for jury trial has been made under MCR 2.508.

(D) Advisory Jury and Trial by Consent. In appeals to circuit court from a municipal court and in actions involving issues not triable of right by a jury because of the basic nature of the issue, the court on motion or on its own initiative may

(1) try the issues with an advisory jury; or

(2) with the consent of all parties, order a trial with a jury whose verdict has the same effect as if trial by jury had been a matter of right.

Mich. R. Civil. Proc. 2.509