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Civil Law |
Civil law (common law), the area of law in common law countries governing relations between private individuals; it includes the private law in common law systems, as well as non-criminal statutes regulating actions of individuals and corporations in a society. In this usage the term divides the relevant area of law from criminal law and other areas of public law. A civil code is a systematic compilation of civil law in core areas of private law in common law countries.
What is a civil lawsuit?
A civil lawsuit is any lawsuit based on civil law, rather than criminal law. A civil lawsuit is the opposite of a criminal case. A criminal case is a case filed by a government against a person for alleged violation of the criminal laws to punish that person. Every other lawsuit is a civil lawsuit.
I’ve been sued, what do I do?
Hire a lawyer. He will advise you of your options and take whatever steps need to be taken on your behalf. There are important questions that need to be decided before an Answer is filed.
Your probably learned about the lawsuit by being “served” by a constable or other process server with a Citation, or suit papers. The Citation has important information in it. Read it carefully. It will tell you when you need to appear and answer in the lawsuit. You do not need to actually appear in court on that date, but an Answer needs to be filed on your behalf in court by that date. If an Answer is not filed, you have admitted the important statements made by plaintiff in the lawsuit and a Judgment may be rendered against you.