{"data":{"id":"us-ny/n.y.-civil-practice-law-rules-4016","jurisdiction":"us-ny","citation":"N.Y. Civil Practice Law \u0026 Rules § 4016","heading":"Opening and closing statements","body":"Rule 4016. Opening and closing statements. (a) Before any evidence is\noffered, an attorney for each plaintiff having a separate right, and an\nattorney for each defendant having a separate right, may make an opening\nstatement. At the close of all the evidence on the issues tried, an\nattorney for each such party may make a closing statement in inverse\norder to opening statements.\n  (b) In any action to recover damages for personal injuries or wrongful\ndeath, the attorney for a party shall be permitted to make reference,\nduring closing statement, to a specific dollar amount that the attorney\nbelieves to be appropriate compensation for any element of damage that\nis sought to be recovered in the action. In the event that an attorney\nmakes such a reference in an action being tried by a jury, the court\nshall, upon the request of any party, during the court's instructions to\nthe jury at the conclusion of all closing statements, instruct the jury\nthat:\n  (1) the attorney's reference to such specific dollar amount is\npermitted as argument;\n  (2) the attorney's reference to a specific dollar amount is not\nevidence and should not be considered by the jury as evidence; and\n  (3) the determination of damages is solely for the jury to decide.","path":["Civil Practice Law \u0026 Rules","Article 40. Trial Generally"],"source_url":"https://legislation.nysenate.gov/api/3/laws/CVP/4016","current_through":"2026-09-11","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T19:32:44Z","sha256":"b6b0431c515c6d39ccc7910fa5079c293e8d59d236f203a234f185b5c74a0f2b","source_id":"us-ny","stale":false,"prev":"us-ny/n.y.-civil-practice-law-rules-4015","next":"us-ny/n.y.-civil-practice-law-rules-4017"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}