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Civil procedure

venue

Venue is the geographic location (county in state court or district in federal court) where a lawsuit may be filed. Proper venue is usually determined by statute, and upon the filing of a lawsuit, the defendant may seek to transfer (move) the venue to a proper venue if it believes the plaintiff’s choice of venue is not a proper venue.

In Washington State, the concept of venue refers to the appropriate location for a court case to be heard and is typically determined by state statutes. For civil cases at the state level, the venue is generally where the defendant resides or does business, or where the events that gave rise to the lawsuit occurred. Washington's court rules allow a defendant to challenge the plaintiff's choice of venue by filing a motion to change venue if they believe it is not proper. The criteria for determining proper venue in Washington are outlined in RCW (Revised Code of Washington) 4.12. Under federal law, venue for federal court cases is determined by 28 U.S.C. § 1391, which provides guidelines on where a federal case may be filed, such as where the defendant resides, where a substantial part of the events occurred, or where the property in dispute is located. If a defendant believes the venue chosen by the plaintiff is improper, they can request a transfer to a proper venue under 28 U.S.C. § 1404 for convenience or 28 U.S.C. § 1406 for cases filed in the wrong venue.

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Civil procedure

venue

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Washington State Code

Washington State Code

Civil procedure

venue

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