Period When the Attorney Repeats the Witness's Answer
The Period
Rulebase Summary
When an attorney repeats all or part of a witness's answer — whether it is a complete sentence or a fragment — before moving on to a new question, end the repeated portion with a period. The repeated answer stands as its own complete thought. The new question that follows should be paragraphed on a new line (whether to paragraph or not is a style choice, but consistency is important).
Examples
A. Three times.
Q. Three times, and did you report each incident?
A. Three times.
Q. Three times. And did you report each incident?
Attorney echo is a separate thought — end with a period.
A. The red sedan.
Q. The red sedan, what direction was it traveling?
A. The red sedan.
Q. The red sedan. What direction was it traveling?
Echoed answer gets a period before the new question.
Transcript Notes
This is extremely common in depositions and cross-examinations. The attorney echoes the answer to confirm it before asking the next question. The repeated fragment gets a period because it represents a complete thought, even if it's not a complete sentence.
Style Guide References (1)
BGGP