What Is a Court Case?

Full Video Transcript

A court case is a dispute that goes to court because it cannot be resolved without the help of a neutral third party. People take their disputes to court to ask the court to decide what the facts are and to determine how the applicable laws apply to the facts. There are two main types of cases: civil and criminal. Civil suits are cases between private individuals and deal with noncriminal issues, such as contract disputes and personal injury claims. Criminal cases are brought by the government against individuals who break laws. Cases will only make it to the court if the defendant does not settle or agree to a plea bargain. There are times that a person can do something that results in both criminal and civil actions. For example, if someone steals another person’s property, they can be charged criminally for theft and may be sued for trespass or conversion.