Chapter 3 Alternative, Judicial, and Online Dispute Resolution PowerPoint Slides to accompany THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS AND ONLINE COMMERCE 5E, by Henry R. Cheeseman Chapter 3 Alternative, Judicial, and Online Dispute Resolution Prentice Hall © 2007

Pretrial Litigation Process Pleadings Discovery Dismissals and pretrial judgments Settlement conference Prentice Hall © 2007

Pleadings Complaint - the document the plaintiff files with the court and serves on the defendant to initiate a lawsuit Summons - a court order directing the defendant to appear in court and answer the complaint Answer - the defendant’s written response to the plaintiff’s complaint that is filed with the court and served on the plaintiff Prentice Hall © 2007

Intervention and Consolidation The act of other parties to join as parties to an existing lawsuit Consolidation The act of a court to combine two or more separate lawsuits into one lawsuit Prentice Hall © 2007

Statute of Limitations Establishes the period during which a plaintiff must bring a lawsuit against a defendant Prentice Hall © 2007

Discovery Discovery—a legal process during which both parties engage in various activities to discover facts of the case from the other party and from witnesses prior to trial Major forms of discovery Depositions Interrogatories Production of documents Physical and mental examinations Prentice Hall © 2007

Pretrial Judgments Motion for judgment on the pleadings Alleges that if all the facts presented in the pleadings are taken as true, the party making the motion would win the lawsuit when the proper law is applied to these asserted facts. Motion for summary judgment Motion that asserts that there are no factual disputes to be decided by the jury; if so, the judge can apply the proper law to the undisputed facts and decide the case without a jury. Prentice Hall © 2007

Settlement Conference Court may direct parties to appear for a settlement conference or pretrial hearing. If there is no settlement, the pretrial hearing is used to identify major issues. Prentice Hall © 2007

Phases of a Trial Jury selection Opening statement Plaintiff’s case Defendant’s case Rebuttal and rejoinder Prentice Hall © 2007

Phases of a Trial Closing arguments Jury instructions Jury deliberations Verdict Entry of judgment Prentice Hall © 2007

The Appeal In a civil case, either party can appeal the trial court’s decision once a final judgment is entered. In a criminal case, only the defendant can appeal. An appellate court will reverse a lower court decision if it finds an error of law in the record. It will generally not reverse a finding of fact. Prentice Hall © 2007

Types of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Arbitration Mediation and conciliation Minitrial Fact finding Judicial referee Prentice Hall © 2007

Arbitration Arbitration is a form of ADR in which parties choose an impartial third party to hear and decide the dispute. Many contracts require that disputes arising out of the contract be submitted to arbitration. Prentice Hall © 2007

Mediation and Conciliation A form of ADR in which the parties choose a neutral third party to act as the mediator of the dispute Conciliation A form of mediation in which the parties choose an interested third party to act as the mediator Prentice Hall © 2007

Minitrial A minitrial is a session, usually lasting a day or less, in which the lawyers for each side present their cases to representatives of each party who have authority to settle the dispute. Prentice Hall © 2007

Fact-Finding Fact-finding is a process in which the parties hire a neutral person to investigate the dispute. The fact-finder reports his or her findings to the adversaries and may recommend a basis for settlement. Prentice Hall © 2007

Judicial Referee If the parties agree, the court may appoint a judicial referee, often a retired judge, to conduct a private trial and render a judgment. Prentice Hall © 2007