Longest hearing

The longest civil case heard before a jury is Kemner v. Monsanto Co., which concerned an alleged toxic chemical spill in Sturgeon, Missouri, USA in 1979. The trial started on 6 Feb 1984, at St. Clair County Court House, Belleville, Illinois, USA before Circuit Judge Richard P. Goldenhersh and ended on 22 Oct 1987. The testimony lasted 657 days, following which the jury deliberated for two months. The residents of Sturgeon were awarded $1 million (£609,000) nominal compensatory damages and $16,280,000 (£9,915,000) punitive damages, but these awards were overturned by the Illinois Appellate Court on 11 Jun 1991 because the jury in the original trial had not found that any damage had resulted from the spill.
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka spent a record 527 days hearing a challenge to the election of President Ranasinghe Premadasa as head of state in 1988. A total of 977 witnesses gave evidence over a three-year period, from 19 Jun 1989 to 30 Jun 1992. The challenge, brought by the opposition leader Sirimavo Bandaranaike, was rejected by the court on 1 Sep 1992.