Thomas had been stolen. Thomas was arrested for the stolen vehicle and assault on a police officer. Although Thomas had some scrapes on his face from where he had fallen, he was not taken to the hospital as the scrapes did not appear serious. The criminal charges against Thomas have recently been dropped by the County Attorney’s office, due to some procedural problems. Last week the City of Tannerville received a complaint filed by Thomas for violation of his civil rights. The complaint alleges that Thomas is entitled to an award of damages under 42 U.S.C. §1983 because the police officers used an unreasonable use of force during the arrest of Thomas. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION TO LITIGATION CHAPTER OBJECTIVES Civil litigation is governed by a detailed set of rules that are explained in each chapter of the text. However, before studying the rules that govern the specific aspects of litigation, you need to be familiar with the litigation process. This familiarity includes knowing where to find the law governing litigation matters, which courts handle particular types of litigation, and what remedies can be awarded to a plaintiff in a litigation action. Before beginning the exercises, review the specific objectives for this chapter of the text. What the differences are between civil litigation and other types of litigation to find the law applicable to litigation matters How the court system is structured How a case moves through the litigation process What types of remedies an aggrieved party may seek from the court What the paralegal's role is in the litigation process What the ethical standards are that paralegals must follow KEY TERMS Affirm Answer Civil litigation Affirm with modification Cases Common law
Thomas had been stolen. Thomas was arrested for the stolen vehicle and assault on a police officer. Although Thomas had some scrapes on his face from where he had fallen, he was not taken to the hospital as the scrapes did not appear serious. The criminal charges against Thomas have recently been dropped by the County Attorney’s office, due to some procedural problems. Last week the City of Tannerville received a complaint filed by Thomas for violation of his civil rights. The complaint alleges that Thomas is entitled to an award of damages under 42 U.S.C. §1983 because the police officers used an unreasonable use of force during the arrest of Thomas. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION TO LITIGATION CHAPTER OBJECTIVES Civil litigation is governed by a detailed set of rules that are explained in each chapter of the text. However, before studying the rules that govern the specific aspects of litigation, you need to be familiar with the litigation process. This familiarity includes knowing where to find the law governing litigation matters, which courts handle particular types of litigation, and what remedies can be awarded to a plaintiff in a litigation action. Before beginning the exercises, review the specific objectives for this chapter of the text. What the differences are between civil litigation and other types of litigation to find the law applicable to litigation matters How the court system is structured How a case moves through the litigation process What types of remedies an aggrieved party may seek from the court What the paralegal's role is in the litigation process What the ethical standards are that paralegals must follow KEY TERMS Affirm Affirm with modification Answer Cases Civil litigation Common law
MM9eWB_Final.docx