In a civil action seeking money damages, when is the right to a trial by jury waived?

• A. If no demand for trial by jury is made.
• B. If the judge prohibits jury trials.
• C. If the parties opt for mediation.
• D. If the claim is dismissed.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that the right to a jury trial in a civil action for money damages is not automatic—you must actively preserve it by demanding a jury. If no timely demand for a trial by jury is made, the right is waived, and the case is tried by the judge (a bench trial) on the facts. This is the procedural rule that makes the option possible: the jury is not presumed unless someone asserts the right within the time allowed. The other scenarios—a judge prohibiting jury trials, parties choosing mediation, or the claim being dismissed—do not by themselves create or preserve a jury-trial right in the way a timely demand does.