What are the basic types of court cases?
The four basic types of court cases are civil, criminal, juvenile, and traffic: • A civil case is a disagreement between two or more people or businesses. Examples of civil cases include disputes between a landlord and tenant, contract disputes, divorce actions, and cases where one person is suing because of a personal injury. • A criminal case involves a person who has been accused of violating a state criminal statute or local ordinance. Minor criminal offenses are called misdemeanors. More serious criminal offenses are known as felonies. • A juvenile case involves a person who is under the age of eighteen. Juvenile cases generally are heard by the juvenile and domestic relations court. The usual types of juvenile cases are delinquency cases, and cases where children are alleged to be in need of either services or supervision. • Finally, the most common type of court case involves a traffic violation. A traffic violation may be either a traffic infraction or a misdemeanor.
