Civil and Criminal Cases

Civil vs. Criminal Cases: Master legal terms, identify roles, and classify case types with interactive examples!

Choose the correct word to go in the space. Click on the blank to see the answer choices. A case dealing with a disagreement between two parties (people) is known as a civil case. This involves the person suing, or complaining, known as the plaintiff, and the person being sued, or accused of something, known as the defendant. While civil cases are disputes between people, criminal cases are cases involving someone accused of committing a crime. There are several steps for this type of case. Before there can be a trial an arrest must be made of the accused. But before a police officer can do this they need probable cause, or really good evidence. After they have been taken into police custody they will be arraigned (arraignment), where the list of charges is read to them. During this step the accused will enter a plea (guilty or not guilty) and the evidence will be reviewed. The seriousness of the crime will determine which court the accused will go to. In VA, different types of crimes are heard by different courts. A smaller crime, or a misdemeanor will land the accused at the General District Court, whereas those who commit serious crimes, known as a felony, will be headed to the VA Circuit Court. At the end of the trial if they do not like their verdict and can prove the case was unfair they can apply for an appeal, which asks for a higher court to review the case. Cinderella v. Lady Tremaine, The Wicked StepmotherCinderella, who spent most of her childhood cleaning and cooking for the Lady Tremaine, the Wicked Stepmother, and her two daughters, is now an adult and princess. She feels that the Lady Tremaine owes her payment for all the work she did around the house. Lady Tremaine feels that she does not owe Cinderella money because she provided the house Cinderella lived in and children should do chores to help around the house. Both Cinderella and Lady Tremaine give there sides of the story as the judge and jury listen. Cinderella is asking Lady Tremaine to pay her $15,000 for all the work she had to do. Who is the plaintiff in this case? Judge Cinderella Lady Tremaine , WickedStepmother Jury Who is the defendant in this case? Judge Cinderella Lady Tremaine, Wicked Stepmother Jury Who will run the court during this trial? Judge Cinderella Lady Tremaine, Wicked Stepmother Jury What court will this trial take place in (Note how much Cinderella is asking for and there is a judge and a jury!) VA Supreme Court VA Court of Appeals VA Circuit Court VA General District Court Scroll down to have the article read to you! Virginia Crime NewspaperSOMERSET, VIRGINIA (AP) -- A. Wolf took the stand today in his own defense. This shocked and stunned the media who predicted that he would not testify in the brutal double murder trial. A. Wolf is accused of killing (and eating) The First Little Pig, and The Second Little Pig. This criminal trial is expected to be followed by a civil trial to be brought by the surviving Third Little Pig. The case has been characterized as a media circus. His testimony is transcribed below:"Everybody knows the story of the Three Little Pigs. Or at least they think they do. But I'll let you in on a little secret. Nobody knows the real story, because nobody has ever heard my side of the story. I'm Alexander T. Wolf. You can call me Al. I don't know how this whole Big Bad Wolf thing got started, but it's all wrong. Maybe it's because of our diet. Hey, it's not my fault wolves eat cute little animals like bunnies and sheep and pigs. That's just the way we are. If cheeseburgers were cute, folks would probably think you were Big and Bad too. But like I was saying, the whole big bad wolf thing is all wrong. The real story is about a sneeze and a cup of sugar.THIS IS THE REAL STORY.Way back in Once Upon a Time time, I was making a birthday cake for my dear old granny. I had a terrible sneezing cold. I ran out of sugar. So I walked down the street to ask my neighbor for a cup of sugar. Now this neighbor was a pig. And he wasn't too bright either. He had built his whole house out of straw. Can you believe it? I mean who in his right mind would build a house of straw? So of course the minute I knocked on the door, it fell right in. I didn't want to just walk into someone else's house. So I called, "Little Pig, Little Pig, are you in?" No answer. I was just about to go home without the cup of sugar for my dear old granny's birthday cake. That's when my nose started to itch. I felt a sneeze coming on. Well I huffed. And I snuffed. And I sneezed a great sneeze. And you know what? The whole darn straw house fell down. And right in the middle of the pile of straw was the First Little Pig - dead as a doornail. He had been home the whole time. It seemed like a shame to leave a perfectly good ham dinner lying there in the straw. So I ate it up. Think of it as a cheeseburger just lying there. I was feeling a little better. But I still didn't have my cup of sugar .So I went to the next neighbor's house. This neighbor was the First Little Pig's brother. He was a little smarter, but not much. He has built his house of sticks. I rang the bell on the stick house. Nobody answered. I called, "Mr. Pig, Mr. Pig, are you in?" He yelled back."Go away wolf. You can't come in. I'm shaving the hairs on my chinny chin chin." I had just grabbed the doorknob when I felt another sneeze coming on. I huffed. And I snuffed. And I tried to cover my mouth, but I sneezed a great sneeze. And you are not going to believe this, but the guy's house fell down just like his brother's. When the dust cleared, there was the Second Little Pig - dead as a doornail. Wolf's honor. Now you know food will spoil if you just leave it out in the open. So I did the only thing there was to do. I had dinner again. Think of it as a second helping. I was getting awfully full. But my cold was feeling a little better. And I still didn't have that cup of sugar for my dear old granny's birthday cake.So I went to the next house. This guy was the First and Second Little Pig's brother. He must have been the brains of the family. He had built his house of bricks. I knocked on the brick house. No answer. I called, "Mr Pig, Mr. Pig, are you in?" And do you know what that rude little porker answered? "Get out of here, Wolf. Don't bother me again." Talk about impolite! He probably had a whole sackful of sugar. And he wouldn't give me even one little cup for my dear sweet old granny's birthday cake. What a pig! I was just about to go home and maybe make a nice birthday card instead of a cake, when I felt my cold coming on.I huffed And I snuffed. And I sneezed once again. Then the Third Little Pig yelled, " And your old granny can sit on a pin!" Now I'm usually a pretty calm fellow. But when somebody talks about my granny like that, I go a little crazy. When the cops drove up, of course I was trying to break down this Pig's door. And the whole time I was huffing and puffing and sneezing and making a real scene. The rest as they say is history. The news reporters found out about the two pigs I had for dinner. They figured a sick guy going to borrow a cup of sugar didn't sound very exciting. So they jazzed up the story with all of that "Huff and puff and blow your house down" And they made me the Big Bad Wolf. That's it The real story. I was framed. " Who is the defendant in this case? A. Wolf First Little Pig Second Little Pig Third Little Pig Is destroying the houses and eating the pigs a felony or a misdemeanor? Felony Misdemeanor What is the evidence or probable cause in the case? List it in the space below. What court would this case start in? VA Supreme Court VA Court of Appeals VA Circuit Court VA General District Court