To impanel a jury is to form or select a jury. For example, in a civil trial usually 6-12 jurors will determine whether the plaintiff or defendant should prevail. Before the trial can begin, the jury must be selected. Once the jury is selected – -impaneled – – the trial can start.
A court of last resort is another name for the highest court in a jurisdiction. Last resort means “last chance”. In the federal court system the Supreme Court of the United States is the court of last resort because it is the highest court, and, therefore, the final appellate court to which a party can…
To hold someone in contempt in a civil litigation usually means that a court determines that the person refused to obey a court order and will impose sanctions (penalties) until the person complies with the order. For example, if a court orders a defendant in a civil litigation to disclose certain information to the plaintiff, and…
In a settlement, the parties reach a deal to dismiss their civil case before trial or before a verdict. Typically in a settlement one party agrees to pay the other party some money.
General Pleading standards govern most types of complaints and answers. The federal courts and state courts impose stricter standards for pleading special matters, such as fraud. General pleading standards are lenient. That is, federal and state rules do not require evidence or extensive detail in the complaint. In the federal courts, a complaint need only…
