Many people will never have to go to court in their lifetime, or it will happen only rarely. Therefore, receiving a summons to court can be stressful. However, there is no need to fear; this brief article will help you understand the content of the summons.

What to Expect from a Summons to Court?

A summons will be sent to you by the court in an envelope with a green stripe, and it will be sent by registered mail. The document typically contains the following information:

• The type of case for which you are summoned, and whether you are summoned as a defendant, plaintiff, or witness.
• The date, time, and location of the hearing (court address, courtroom number, and possibly the floor).
• Instructions on your rights and obligations as a summoned party, as well as the consequences of failing to appear (the court may impose a fine of up to 50,000 CZK, and in extreme cases, the summoned person may be brought to court by the police).
• If the summons is for a witness, a form will often be attached to determine the witness fee, which compensates for costs incurred due to the summons, such as meals, travel expenses, or lost income.

What if I Cannot Attend the Hearing?

If, for important reasons, you cannot attend the court hearing, it is essential to inform the court as soon as possible. You should explain the reasons and request that the hearing be postponed. If the court finds the reasons valid, it will reschedule the hearing for another date.

In cases where the hearing date and time conflict with your work schedule, your employer is legally obligated to provide you with time off from work.

‍

‍

We used a publicly available AI translation tool to translate this article from Czech to English. Please contact us if any of the above information is unclear to you.