What does it mean when evidence is circumstantial?

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asked Jan 18, 2020 in Law/Ethics by SlaveExec (300 points)
What does it mean when evidence is circumstantial?

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answered Jan 18, 2020 by Jaskiffia (810 points)
When evidence is circumstantial it means that the evidence is evidence that tends to prove a fact by proving other events or circumstances which afford a basis for a reasonable inference of the occurrence of the fact at issue.

It can be harder for someone to be convicted on circumstantial evidence but it's not impossible to convict someone on circumstantial evidence.

There have been thousands of people convicted and sentenced to years in prison based on circumstantial evidence alone.

So it's a myth that you cannot be convicted and sentenced on circumstantial evidence but it makes it harder to be convicted on that alone.

Circumstantial evidence is evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact such as a fingerprint at the scene of a crime.

By contrast, direct evidence supports the truth of an assertion directly i.e., without need for any additional evidence or inference.
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answered Dec 1, 2022 by LynnTerry (15,440 points)
Court cases involve mass disputes or can also cause widespread societal concern that can affect social stability.

The difference between civil law and criminal law is in criminal law someone committed a crime and is being tried in court for that crime and the state could be charging the person with the crime and sentencing them to jail or prison and with a civil case it's not a crime but just involves two people or businesses suing each other for money for damages, injury, copyright etc.

You can identify a civil case by what the dispute involves.

A civil case will involve disputes between businesses or two people over money or injury or personal rights.

A criminal case is where someone committed a crime and can involve the state.

The two most common civil law cases are general civil cases and small claims court cases.

Small claims cases, which are lawsuits between individuals or companies for $10,000.00 or less, and where no one is allowed to have a lawyer.

General civil cases, usually involving suing someone for money in disputes over things like contracts, damage to property, or someone getting hurt.

The most common type of civil action is personal injury claims where the plaintiff is asking for compensation for damages that resulted from an action from the defendant that caused the plaintiff injuries.

Two examples of civil cases in a court of law are slip and falls at a business or you sue someone for damages to your home.

A civil case means that you're filing a lawsuit against someone or a business for wrongdoing that is not criminal.

The person you're suing has not broken the law so it's not a criminal case and is only a civil matter and dispute between the two people.

The plaintiff is the person who brings action against someone in a civil dispute.

The plaintiff is the person who is accusing the other person who is the defendant of the wrongdoing in court.

For example if you sued a business then the business owner would be the defendant and you would be the plaintiff in the civil lawsuit.

Examples of civil law and civil law cases are slip and fall accidents, breach of contract, negligence that results in someone's death or injury, or property damage, defamation, libel and slander.

Civil law is important because civil law helps the emerging legal culture improve the quality of its judiciary and provide it with better tools to perform an active role in dispute resolution.

And the benefit of a civil law system is that you can only be judged by the laws which were actually written down in front of you at the time.

The drawback though is that even if previous cases show you should win your case, there is no guarantee a judge will interpret the code in the same way on your case.

A civil suit can be filed when the party to the dispute files a complaint with the court and pays the filing fee that is required by statute.

If the plaintiff is unable to pay the filing fee for the civil suit they can file a request to proceed with the lawsuit in forma pauperis.

The element of a civil case that comes first is the filing of a complaint.

The filing of a complaint must come first in a civil case before the civil case can take place.

In a civil case the plaintiff starts the civil court case by filing a "complaint" (a document that outlines the plaintiff's facts and legal theories and makes a request for relief).

In the complaint, the plaintiff might: Ask the court for "damages," meaning money to pay the plaintiff for any harm suffered.

The most common type of civil law violation is color of law violations.

Other common civil law violations are desecration of property, verbal and or written threats, physical assaults and racial violence.

The burden of proof is lower in civil cases because civil cases are only about money and not about sentencing someone to jail or prison.

When sentencing someone to jail or prison time you must have a higher burden of proof because someone's life is on the line and not just money.

A civil problem is a case where private citizens or companies sue one another in court and they don't involve people breaking the law like criminal cases.

For example if you got injured by falling at a business and then you sued the business that would be a civil matter and not a criminal matter.

There are several types of civil cases which include personal injury, battery, negligence, defamation, medical malpractice, fraud, and many others, are all examples of civil cases although there are more.

A civil case can be appealed through a higher court.

In civil cases, either party may appeal to a higher court.

However in a criminal case, only the defendant has a right to an appeal in most states.

(Some states give the prosecution a limited right to appeal to determine certain points of law.

These appeals usually occur before the actual trial begins.

The 4 main categories of civil law are  1) contracts, 2) property, 3) family relations, and 4) civil wrongs causing physical injury or injury to property (tort).

The three most common types of civil cases are tort claims, contract breaches and landlord/tenant issues.

Both court cases and civil cases include a defendant and plaintiff.

The standard proof in a civil case is proof that is met by a plaintiff (the person who has brought a case against someone else), who must prove their argument based on a preponderance of evidence.

This proof in a civil case is the amount of evidence that is sufficient enough to counteract any evidence that is provided to the court by the defendant to prove their innocence.

Courts settle disputes by hearing both sides of the story and then deciding on who is right or wrong.

Litigation is generally thought of as the process of resolving rights-based disputes through the court system, from filing a law suit through arguments on legal motions, a discovery phase involving formal exchange of information, courtroom trial and appeal.

In order to settle disputes the courts encourage the use of mediation, arbitration, and other forms of alternative dispute resolution, designed to produce a resolution of a dispute without the need for trial or other court proceedings.

In some cases it's better to settle out of court instead of going to trial.

However in more severe court cases it can be better to go to trial to win the case.

Some lawsuits may cost too much to go to court and so a business or someone may want to settle with you out of court and sometimes settling out of court can be the best.

The three burdens of proof are proof beyond a reasonable doubt, clear and convincing evidence, and preponderance of the evidence.

The point at which most cases settle is after the Jury's verdict.

95 percent of all cases in court are settled quickly after the Jury reaches a verdict.

You can settle a dispute with someone or a company without going to court by settling the case through arbitration.

Arbitration is when the arbitrator which is a neutral person hears each side's position and arguments and then looks at evidence from each side.

Then the arbitrator makes a decision about the dispute which is called an award.

Mediation, Administrative hearings and settlement conferences are other ways to settle a dispute.

The plaintiff has the burden of proof in most cases.

The plaintiff is also the person who is filling the lawsuit and accusing the defendant and the plaintiff has to prove the defendant did the thing that the plaintiff is accusing them of which is the burden of proof.

The person filing the lawsuit or the plaintiff bears the burden of proof in the court case.

The plaintiff which is the person accusing the defendant in court is the person who has to bear the burden of proof.

Burden of proof in court means that party that is prosecuting the person in court must bear the burden of proving to the court that the person committed the crime.

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