What Is a Civil Court Judgment?
Civil courts settle disputes and arguments that are not criminal in nature. Civil court trials provide an arena for people to offer evidence for their case to persuade a judge or jury that they are deserving of compensation, most often in the form of monetary awards.
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Trial
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In trial, the plaintiff and defendant present evidence and witnesses to support their argument. Each side tries to discredit his opponent's case by refuting testimony, or by presenting conflicting evidence. This information gives judges and juries a basis for judgement.
Judge or Jury
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Verdicts are handed down by a judge or a jury in a civil case. While judges have a greater knowledge of the technical and legal aspects of a court case, juries may be more sympathetic to a certain party and ignore the law. Parties in a civil case may not always get to choose their adjudicator--some small claims courts only offer trials before judges.
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Verdict
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The verdict is the decision to find either the plaintiff or defendant liable for damages. A judge or jury decides who is at fault and needs to pay compensatory damages.
Damages
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After a judge or jury has deliberated and reached a decision, the amount damages is decided. Judges or juries can award the full amount requested, or may give smaller amount. In some cases, punitive damages may be awarded to a party for additional intangible damages caused by the situation.
Collection
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After a judgement, the winner of the case needs to collect the money owed--the court does not handle this automatically. If the liable party refuses to pay, collection methods (such as property liens) need to be initiated by the winning party.
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