Civil and Criminal Law

Our legal system recognizes two different kinds of cases--civil and criminal. A
civil case is one in which a person who feels he has been wronged may bring legal action
to protect his own interest or to collect monetary damages from the person who has wronged him or her. The private party whose rights have been violated, the plaintiff, initiates the case. The person who is sued in a civil case is known as the defendant or the respondent. …