The most common kind of civil court cases in the United States are tort cases, which include cases of intentional wrongs, negligence and liability such as fraud, defamation, trespassing, and false imprisonment. Tort is the Middle English word meaning "wrong." The plaintiff--the party that suffered the wrongful act and seeks relief in court--is entitled to be restored to the position he or she was …
Of the cases occurring after Vandermark and the shift in liability, Liebeck v. McDonald's stands out as the one case most often quoted, especially in a discussion of tort reform. In 1994, a jury awarded Stella Liebeck $2.9 million in punitive damages for injuries suffered from spilling McDonald's coffee on her lap. The coffee--kept at 180 degrees--caused third-degree burns and Liebeck spent seven …
The civil suit by the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman against O.J. Simpson brought national and international attention to an ongoing trend in the U.S. legal system where families seek retribution in civil courts for defendants that are found guilty or even acquitted in criminal courts. Instead of being charged with murder as in the criminal trial, Simpson was sued for wrongful…
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