The following may delay and/or reduce a refund: A tax return that has errors A taxpayer and/or spouse, if filing a joint return, who has any outstanding unpaid assessments,
Overall, for all areas of the law, federal civil trials have declined 60 percent since the mid-1980s. In 2002, less than 2 percent of those cases ended in a trial â down from 12 percent in 1962 and 20 percent in the 1920s. Less than 5 percent of criminal cases go to trial; most result in plea bargains.
In a civil trial, it means that the plaintiff must convince the judge or jury by a preponderance of the evidence that the plaintiff's version is true -- that is, over 50% of the believable evidence is in the plaintiff's favor.