What happens at the Palm Beach County Courthouse in a car accident case
Most car accident claims settle without anyone filing a lawsuit, and many of the rest settle before a trial. If one is filed in Palm Beach County, it goes to a predictable sequence: a complaint at the courthouse at 205 North Dixie Highway, service on the other side, a court-issued schedule that includes mediation, and a jury of six if it ever reaches trial. You’ll rarely be in the building.
Here is that sequence in order, with the statute or court order behind each step, so you know what’s coming and what the deadlines are before anyone asks you for anything.
Before anyone files anything
The disclosure request and the deadline both come before the courthouse.
The insurance disclosure. Under section 627.4137, a liability insurer must provide, within 30 days of a claimant’s written request, a sworn statement from a corporate officer or the claims manager. It lists the insurer’s name, each insured, the limits of liability coverage, any policy or coverage defense the insurer reasonably believes is available, and a copy of the policy. The insurer has to amend the statement immediately if the facts change. Paul uses this request to find out what coverage exists before deciding how to value the case.
The deadline to file. Under section 95.11(5)(a), an action founded on negligence has to be filed within two years. Chapter 2023-15 shortened that deadline from four years, and applies to causes of action that accrued after March 24, 2023. A crash before that date keeps the four-year period. Every deadline that can end a Florida injury claim covers the exceptions.
The demand. A claim that settles does so on a demand letter and an insurer’s response. If the insurer’s response isn’t fair, filing is the next step, not the first.
Which court, and how the case gets filed
The amount in dispute decides the court. The portal decides how.
| County court or circuit court | Under section 34.01(1)(c)3, county court hears actions filed on or after January 1, 2023 where the amount in controversy is $50,000 or less, exclusive of interest, costs and attorney’s fees. Everything above that is circuit court, which has jurisdiction over actions the county courts can’t hear. |
| Where | The Main Courthouse at 205 North Dixie Highway in downtown West Palm Beach, about half a mile in a straight line from Paul’s office. Expect to pass through security if you go |
| How | Florida attorneys file through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal. Rule 2.525(b)(1) of the Rules of General Practice says “Attorneys must file through the portal.” Nobody carries paper to a counter |
| When the case officially starts | Under Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.050, an action is commenced when the complaint is filed. The date matters for the filing deadline |
What happens after filing, in order
Each step has a deadline, and the court’s schedule sets most of them.
| 1. Service | The defendant has to be served with the summons and complaint. Under Rule 1.070(j), if service isn’t made within 120 days after filing, the court must direct that service be made within a set time or dismiss the action without prejudice, unless the plaintiff shows good cause or excusable neglect |
| 2. The answer | Under Rule 1.140(a)(1), a defendant must serve an answer within 20 days after service of the summons and complaint, unless a statute provides a different time |
| 3. The case management order | The Fifteenth Judicial Circuit’s Administrative Order 3.110 generates a case management order automatically when a case is filed. It sets deadlines for the case, including completion of mediation. Circuit civil jury cases go to a General Track with a target of 18 months after service on the last defendant. County civil jury cases go to a Streamlined Track with a target of 12 months. Complex cases get 30 months |
| 4. Discovery | Both sides exchange documents, answer written questions and take depositions, which are sworn interviews. Your deposition is the part of the case where you speak for the record. |
| 5. Mediation | A neutral mediator works between the parties to try to settle the case |
| 6. Trial, if the case doesn’t settle | Under section 69.071, “in all civil actions when a jury is impaneled, a jury of six qualified jurors is sufficient” |
Mediation and offers of judgment
Most cases that settle do so at or around mediation.
Mediation. Under section 44.102(2)(a), a court must, on the request of one party, refer a filed civil action for monetary damages to mediation, as long as the requesting party is willing and able to pay the costs or they can be equitably divided. Medical malpractice, small claims and a few other categories are excluded. Rule 1.710 says mediation is to be completed within 45 days of the first mediation conference unless extended, and mediation doesn’t suspend discovery. Because the case management order includes a mediation deadline, mediation is effectively part of every filed case.
Offers of judgment. Under section 768.79 and Rule 1.442, either side can serve a formal proposal for settlement. If a defendant’s offer isn’t accepted within 30 days and the final judgment is at least 25 percent less than the offer, the defendant can recover its reasonable costs and attorney’s fees from the date of the offer. The same works in reverse if a plaintiff’s demand is rejected and the judgment is at least 25 percent greater. A proposal to a defendant can’t be served until 90 days after service of process on that defendant. These rules push both sides to evaluate the case early and honestly.
What this means for you
Most of the work happens outside the courtroom.
If a case is filed, your role is smaller than most people expect. You’ll sign the engagement paperwork and the documents that go with the complaint, answer written questions with Paul’s help, and attend your deposition and any independent medical examination the defense requests. You’ll attend mediation, which is usually a conference room and not a courtroom. If the case doesn’t settle, you attend the trial.
Paul practices downtown, half a mile from the courthouse, and files and tries his own cases. See his trial background.
An illustration, not a prediction
A composite example of how cases like this typically unfold.
This is a composite example of how a filed case might go. Every case is different, and nothing here predicts a result.
A driver is hurt in a crash on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard. After treatment, Paul’s office sends a demand and requests the insurance disclosure. The insurer disputes fault and offers a number well below the medical bills. The case is filed in circuit court in West Palm Beach. The defendant is served and answers within the time the rules allow, and the case management order sets a mediation deadline and a discovery schedule.
The client is deposed. At mediation, the insurer raises its offer but not enough, and the case goes into the second half of the schedule. Weeks before trial the parties settle on a number Paul recommends. The client never testified before a jury.
What to do now, if you think a case might be filed
These apply whether or not anything is ever filed.
| Keep every record | Medical bills, the crash report, photographs, texts with the insurer, and a note of every call |
| Don’t miss the deadline | Two years from the crash for most negligence claims accruing after March 24, 2023. |
| Send nothing to the insurer in writing without reading it twice | What you say to an insurer can be used later |
| Answer your lawyer’s questions fully | The defense will ask the same questions under oath, and it’s better that nothing surprises you there |
| Don’t post about the crash or your injuries | Insurers and defense lawyers can look at what you post |
Common questions
Will I have to go to court?
Not usually. Most claims settle before or during mediation. If a case is filed, you’ll attend a deposition and mediation, and you’d attend the trial only if the case doesn’t settle.
Where would a Palm Beach County car accident lawsuit be filed?
In county court if the amount in controversy is $50,000 or less, and in circuit court above that, under section 34.01(1)(c)3. The main courthouse is at 205 North Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach.
How long do I have to file a lawsuit after a car accident?
Two years for a negligence action that accrued after March 24, 2023, under section 95.11(5)(a). An earlier crash keeps the four-year period.
How many jurors are on a civil jury in Florida?
Six, under section 69.071, which says a jury of six qualified jurors is sufficient in civil actions when a jury is impaneled.
What is a case management order?
A schedule the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit generates automatically when a case is filed. It sets deadlines for the case, including mediation. Administrative Order 3.110 describes the tracks, with a target of 18 months for circuit civil jury cases and 12 months for county civil jury cases.
Is mediation required?
In practice, yes. A court must refer a filed civil action to mediation on one party’s request under section 44.102(2)(a), and the case management order includes a mediation deadline.
What is an offer of judgment?
A formal settlement proposal under section 768.79 and Rule 1.442. If the other side rejects it and the final judgment is at least 25 percent better for you than the offer, you can recover your reasonable costs and attorney’s fees from the date of the offer. A defendant’s offer works the same way in reverse.
Do I have to hire a lawyer to file a lawsuit?
You can represent yourself in a civil case. Attorneys must file through the e-filing portal under rule 2.525, and the same deadlines and procedural rules apply to you either way. A lawyer handles the filing, the service deadline and the answer.
Talk to Paul, not a case manager
If you’re thinking about whether a claim could end up in court, the call costs you nothing and answers the questions that matter: how long you have, what would happen first, and what you’d be asked to do. Paul R. Shalhoub will take it himself. Consultations are free and confidential. We advance case costs, and you owe no attorney’s fees or reimbursement of those costs unless we recover compensation for you.
Call (561) 208-5058 Free case review
Shalhoub Law Injury & Accident, 1011 N Olive Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. This describes Florida law as of November 6, 2026 and applies to claims in Florida. It is general information, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome.