d.). A federal civil case entails a legal dispute between two or more parties. In order to start a civil lawsuit in federal court, the plaintiff will file a complaint with the court and serve a copy of the complaint to the defendant. The complaint will explain the plaintiff's injury, give details about how the defendant caused the injury, and ask the court to order relief. A plaintiff will often look for money in order to compensate for the injury, or may ask the court to order the defendant to stop the behavior that is causing the harm (Civil Cases, n.d.).

To put in order a case for trial, the litigants may perform discovery. During discovery, the litigants must give information to each other about the case, such as the identity of witnesses and copies of any papers associated with the case. The purpose of doing discovery is to prepare for trial by necessitating the litigants to collect their support and prepare witnesses for the case. One universal method of discovery is the deposition. In a deposition, a witness is required under oath to answer questions about the case (Civil Cases, n.d.).

If a case is not settled, the court will schedule a trial. In a wide assortment of civil cases, either side is at liberty under the Constitution to request a jury trial. If the parties relinquish their right to a jury, then the case will be decided by a judge without a jury. At a trial, witnesses give evidence under the supervision of a judge. By affecting rules of evidence, the judge decides which information may be presented in the courtroom. At the end of...

In a jury trial, the judge will give details about the law that are relevant to the case and the decisions the jury needs to make. The jury is asked to figure out whether the defendant is accountable for harming the plaintiff in some way, and then to decide the amount of damages that the defendant will be required to pay (Civil Cases, n.d.).
A plaintiff who is not happy with a decision made by a federal administrative agency may file an appeal for review of the decision by a court of appeals. In a civil case either party may file an appeal if they do not agree with the verdict. Appeals are decided by panels of three judges who work as one. The decision by the court of appeals is normally the final word in the case. Sometimes it sends the case back to the trial court for additional dealings, or the parties ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take a look at the case (Civil Cases, n.d.).

References

Civil Cases. (n.d.). Retrieved August 15, 2010, from United States Courts Web site:

http://www.uscourts.gov/FederalCourts/UnderstandingtheFederalCourts/HowCourtsWor

k/CivilCases.aspx

Mediation. (n.d.). Retrieved August 15, 2010, from U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission Web site: http://www.eeoc.gov/employees/mediation.cfm

What To Do If You Think You Have Been Discriminated Against. (2002). Retrieved August 15,

2010, from United States Department of Labor Web site:

http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek97/what2do.htm