What does it mean when you have Pre-trial

A pretrial hearing is a meeting that occurs before a trial action begins, attended by the plaintiff, the defendant, the judge, the lawyers, and maybe other involved parties. Pretrial hearings aim to resolve some of the legal issues before the trial begins where the judge is informed of such things as whether the parties are ready for trial, have all of their witnesses lined up, motions that may still be pending and the status of negotiations if any.

The judge will usually issue an immediate response to any issues raised during a pretrial conference. The judge will either grant or deny a pretrial motion according to their judgment. If an issue still needs resolution, another pretrial hearing can be scheduled in some cases.