Procedures of Civil Cases
Logan Mack
Civil Cases
A Civil Case begins with a lawyer hired by a plaintiff who intends on filing a lawsuit. The lawyer files a complaint. Once the complaint is seen by the court, they send a summons to the defendant so he/she may appear in court on the given date. Before the actual session is held, the court meets with the lawyers of both parties in the civil case to discuss details and evidence. This meeting is known as the pretrial conference. The plaintiff must meet a preponderance of evidence that requires a certain amount of proof in order for him/her to win the civil case. After the rituals are dealt with, the trial is held in the courtroom. In the courtroom, the plaintiff states accusations and the defendant answers. This process is known as the pleadings. The courts frequently us arbitration, which is when an outside source makes a judgement of the case to sway the final decision. Similar to arbitration, mediation uses and outside source to create an agreement between the plaintiff and defendant. After both cases are heard, a verdict is reached, deciding the consequences. If either party is unhappy with the way the court executed their duties, they have the option to appeal to a higher court in order to be judged correctly.