It wouldn't make sense for a
defendant in a contract disputeto have the same kind
of trial as, say, JasonThat's why the courts
in this countrysplit cases into
two categories–civil and criminalA civil case is when one
person, the plaintiff,brings legal action
against another person whohas allegedly wronged them–
the defendant– with the intentof collecting damagesDamages equals money
A criminal case is where a
government prosecutes someoneto prove them guilty
of committing a crime,like a car thiefThe victim of this
crime is oftena witness in the government's
case against the accused,as well as any eyewitnessesIn a civil case,
the court can judgethat a defendant
owes the plaintiffmoney, or other
property, or must performa service that was promisedMostly, though, it's money
Reimbursement, compensation,
or punitive damagesHowever, a judge in a civil
case cannot send a defendantto jail, barring
a few exceptions,usually regarding the
intentional violation of courtordersIn a criminal case, either
the prosecutor or a grand juryinitiates the proceedingsPunishment for
guilty defendants canrange from fines,
community service,or educational classes, to
much more serious consequences,such as jail time
And anyone, including
the defendant,can be called as a
witness in a civil case,whereas in a criminal case,
they cannot be forced toAlso, criminal cases
generally have a higher burdenof proof than civil casesThis is mainly because a
person's freedom is at stakeProsecutors have to work that
much harder to show guilt
They must prove
that the defendantis guilty beyond a
reasonable doubtA plaintiff in a
civil case, however,only needs to prove
that they shouldwin by a preponderance
of the evidencePreponderance just means the
greater amount, or weight,of the evidence when
taking into accountthe believability
of that evidenceFor more details on the
differences between typesof cases, or anything having
to do with court in any way,Legal You is your
go-to resource