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Chapter 4
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Litigation: The process of bringing, maintaining, and defending a lawsuit Pretrial litigation process can be divided into: Pleadings Discovery Pretrial judgments Settlement conference 4-2 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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The paperwork that is filed with the court to initiate and respond to a lawsuit Plaintiff: The party who files a complaint Summons: A court order that directs the defendant to appear in court and answer the complaint 4-3 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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4-4 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall. Type of PleadingDescription Complaint The document a plaintiff files with the court and serves on the defendant to initiate a lawsuit Answer The defendant’s written response to a plaintiff’s complaint that is filed with the court and served on the plaintiff Cross-complaint A document filed by the defendant against the plaintiff to seek damages or some other remedy Reply A document filed by the original plaintiff to answer the defendant’s cross-complaint
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4-5 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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4-6 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall. The act of other parties to join as parties to an existing lawsuit Intervention The act of a court to combine two or more separate lawsuits into one lawsuit Consolidation
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A lawsuit where a group of plaintiffs with common claims collectively bring a lawsuit against a defendant To maintain a class action lawsuit A class must be certified by the appropriate federal or state court After a court certifies a class Notice of the class action must be sent, published, or broadcast to class members 4-7 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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A statute that establishes the period during which a plaintiff must bring a lawsuit against a defendant If a lawsuit is not filed within this time period, the plaintiff loses his or her right to sue 4-8 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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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 4-9 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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TypeDescription DepositionOral testimony given by a deponent, either a party or witness. Depositions are transcribed. InterrogatoriesWritten questions submitted by one party to the other party of a lawsuit. They must be answered within a specified period of time. Production of documents Copies of all relevant documents obtained by a party to a lawsuit from another party upon order of the court. Physical or mental examination Court-ordered examination of a party where injuries are alleged that could be verified or disputed by such examination. 4-10 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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A motion a party can make to try to dispose of all or part of a lawsuit prior to trial Motion for judgment on the pleadings: A motion that 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 4-11 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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A motion which asserts that: There are no factual disputes to be decided by the jury The judge can apply the proper law to the undisputed facts and decide the case without a jury These motions are supported by affidavits, documents, and deposition testimony 4-12 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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A hearing before a trial in order to facilitate the settlement of a case If there is no settlement The pretrial hearing is used to identify major issues 4-13 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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Pursuant to the Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution A party to a civil action at law is guaranteed the right to a jury trial in a case in federal court Trier of fact: The jury in a jury trial The judge where there is not a jury trial 4-14 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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Voir dire: The process whereby the judge and attorneys ask prospective jurors questions to determine whether they would be biased in their decisions After selection, the jury is impaneled to hear the case Alternative jurors are usually also selected A jury can be sequestered in important cases 4-15 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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An attorney from each party Summarizes the main factual and legal issues of the case Describes why the client’s position is valid The plaintiff’s case Plaintiff bears the burden of proof Direct examination – plaintiff’s attorney examines the witness Cross-examination – defendant’s attorney can question the witness ▪ Re-direct examination 4-16 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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The defendant’s case must Rebut the plaintiff’s evidence Prove any affirmative defenses asserted by the defendant Prove any allegations contained in the defendant’s cross- complaint Rebuttal and rejoinder Rebuttal – plaintiff’s attorney calls witnesses and puts forth evidence to rebut the defendant’s case Rejoinder – defendant’s attorney counters the rebuttal 4-17 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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Made by each party’s attorney to the jury Jury instructions, deliberation, and verdict Jury instructions: Instructions that the judge gives to the jury that inform jurors of the law to be applied in the case Jury deliberation – Jury retires to consider the evidence and reach a verdict 4-18 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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Official decision of the court Judgment notwithstanding the verdict The court overturns the verdict if it finds bias or jury misconduct Remittitur The judge reduces the amount of monetary damages awarded by the jury Written memorandum Sets forth the reasons for the judgment 4-19 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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The act of asking an appellate court to overturn a decision after the trial court’s final judgment has been entered Appellant: The appealing party in an appeal Appellee: The responding party in an appeal An appellate court will reverse a lower court decision if it finds an error of law in the record 4-20 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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4-21 Negotiation Arbitration Mediation Mini-trial Fact-finding Judicial referee Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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A procedure whereby the parties to a dispute engage in discussions and bargaining to try to reach a voluntary settlement of their dispute A settlement agreement is drafted that contains the terms of the agreement 4-22 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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A form of ADR in which the parties choose an impartial third party to hear and decide the dispute Federal Arbitration Act: A federal statute that provides for the enforcement of most arbitration agreements Binding arbitration – Parties agree in advance to be bound by the arbitrator’s decision and remedy Nonbinding arbitration – The decision and award of the arbitrator can be appealed to the courts 4-23 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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A form of alternative dispute resolution in which the parties use a mediator to propose a settlement of their dispute If the parties agree to a settlement, a settlement agreement is drafted that expresses their agreement If an agreement is not reached, the parties may proceed to a judicial resolution of their case 4-24 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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A voluntary private proceeding in which lawyers for each side present a shortened version of their case to the representatives of both sides Fact-finding The parties to a dispute employ a neutral third party to act as a fact-finder to investigate the dispute 4-25 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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The court appoints a judicial referee to conduct a private trial and render a judgment Referees have most of the same powers as trial judges Referees’ decisions stand as judgments of the court 4-26 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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4-27 Key WordDescription Electronic court (e-court)A court that either mandates or permits the electronic filing of pleadings, briefs, and other documents related to a lawsuit E-dispute resolutionThe use of online alternative dispute resolution services to resolve a dispute Electronic arbitrationThe arbitration of a dispute using online arbitration services Electronic mediationThe mediation of a dispute using online mediation services Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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4-28 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
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