Kansas Statutes 77-517. Prehearing conference; procedure; prehearing order
(a) The presiding officer may conduct all or part of the prehearing conference by telephone or other electronic means if each participant in the conference has an opportunity to participate in the entire proceeding while it is taking place.
(b) The presiding officer shall conduct the prehearing conference, as may be appropriate, to deal with such matters as conversion of the proceeding to another type, exploration of settlement possibilities, preparation of stipulations, clarification of issues, rulings on identity and limitation of the number of witnesses, objections to proffers of evidence, determination of the extent to which direct evidence, rebuttal evidence, or cross-examination will be presented in written form, and the extent to which telephone or other electronic means will be used as a substitute for proceedings in person, order of presentation of evidence and cross-examination, rulings regarding issuance of subpoenas, discovery orders and protective orders and such other matters as will promote the orderly and prompt conduct of the hearing. The presiding officer shall issue a prehearing order incorporating the matters determined at the prehearing conference.
Terms Used In Kansas Statutes 77-517
- Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Order: means a state agency action of particular applicability that determines the legal rights, duties, privileges, immunities or other legal interest of one or more specific persons. See Kansas Statutes 77-502
- Person: means an individual, partnership, corporation, association, political subdivision or unit thereof or public or private organization or entity of any character, and includes another state agency. See Kansas Statutes 77-502
- Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
- Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
(c) If a prehearing conference is not held, the presiding officer for the hearing may issue a prehearing order, based on the pleadings, to regulate the conduct of the proceedings.