1. In your Interactive Notebook: Unit. Day 3
In your Interactive Notebook: Unit.Day 3.9 Civil $uit$ and $$$$$ Damage$
ON YOUR DESK: 1) laptop (warming up)
2) Interactive NB
3) (Completed) Study guide
WARM UP
Why do people sue other people?
Today’s OBJECTIVE(S) -- WRITE THESE DOWN:
I can define key concepts in civil cases, such as “plaintiff, damages, tort, and settlement”
I can create a fictionalized tort scenario that leads to a civil lawsuit

2. Updates & Deadlines SUBMIT By Today: By Thursday: FRIDAY: EXAM
Study Guide: through 3.10
ACES / Writing Prompt:
Crime & punishment OR
Tort Story
By Thursday:
Practice Test
FRIDAY: EXAM
Today’s Agenda
SG through 3.10
Tort Story
Review Time
Current events
End of class quiz

3. Civil Lawsuits
Plaintiff ~ the person/organization that files the lawsuit claims that a loss has occurred and demands damages
VERSUS
Defendant ~ the person/organization being sued argues that they are not responsible for the damage or loss
Textbook p. 364

4. Civil Case
If John sues McDonalds because the coffee is too hot, who is the plaintiff?

5. What be won in a civil case?
Damages – money paid to offset a loss
Injunction – requires the defendant (the government or a company to change a policy)

6. Tort Law
A “tort” occurs when a person suffers a legal wrong that results in damage to their property or an injury to themselves
Examples of torts:
Slip and fall into an uncovered sewer
Restaurant gives you a to go cup of coffee and the lid isn’t tight, and it spills and burns you
A car accident someone else caused

8. What are the Steps in a Civil Case?
Hire a lawyer
Plaintiff’s lawyer files a complaint
Court sends the defendant a summons to appear in court at a given date and time
Defendant responds to the charges by filing an answer to the complaint
Discovery phase – evidence is shared
Plaintiff then the Defendant present their sides of the case in court
Court issues a verdict
Textbook pp

9. Preponderance of the Evidence
Legal Standard required to win in a civil case
“preponderance of the evidence”
Means it is more likely than not that a person did what they are accused of
Based on the evidence, if the person PROBABLY did it, they lose the case
DIFFERENT THAN CRIMINAL CASES
Criminal requires guilt
“beyond a reasonable doubt”

10. Most civil cases are settled and never reach trial because:
Settlement – an agreement to drop the lawsuit & resolve things outside of court
Most civil cases are settled and never reach trial because:
Outcomes of trial are hard to predict
Most courts have a backlog of civil cases meaning it could be years waiting on a trial
Trials and legal assistance are expensive; that both sides likely want to end the spending
Textbook p. 366

11. If you lose the verdict in a civil case, you can appeal the decision to a higher court
Textbook p. 367

12. Juveniles and Delinquents
Juvenile ~ Anyone under age 18 in most states that is not yet considered a legal adult
Juvenile Delinquent ~ young people who commit crimes
Textbook p. 375

13. Purpose of the Juvenile Court
Primary goal is to rehabilitate or correct a young person’s behavior
Juvenile courts handle two types of cases:
Neglect
Delinquency
Juveniles do NOT have the right to jury trials
Judges attempt to keep proceedings and the identity of juveniles secret
Textbook pp

14. Write a Tort Story
Write a fictional short story with the following elements:
A tort scenario in which a plaintiff files a lawsuit
A settlement conference from the perspective of either the plaintiff or the defendant – and explanation of why the settlement might or might not make sense

15. End of Class Quiz What types of courts have appellate jurisdiction?
What Supreme Court Case established the precedent of Judicial Review?
___________ laws govern how businesses should operate.
_________ laws involve violations of the penal code.
__________ laws deal with lawsuits over things like contracts.

16. Quiz continued:
Most cases that the Supreme Court hears involve questions of ____________ law.
In a civil case, the _______ files a lawsuit and the ___________ (also called “respondant”) must respond.
What is the legal standard a jury must use in deciding a civil case?
The “discovery” part of a trial is when each side has to give the other side the evidence they have.