US civil case filings were up 3% in 2019. Do you know the types of civil cases that led the way?
From foreclosures to city complaints, we’re guiding you through the top 7 reasons people file civil suits. So, you better keep reading!
Table of Contents
Foreclosures
Mortgage foreclosures occur when a borrower doesn’t make timely payments on his or her home loan. The lending bank or financial institution files a civil case to recover those unpaid installments.
A foreclosure case ends when the borrower forfeits his or her home as collateral for the loan. The lending institution can then sell the home to recover the lost payments.
Contract Disputes
Contract disputes happen when a member of a signed contract fails or refuses to fulfill his or her obligations. This type of civil case can also be due to poorly worded contracts.
In a contract dispute, the offending party has to pay restitution to the other member(s) of the contract for failing to uphold its contractual obligations. Restitution could be in the form of money or goods, depending on the terms of the contract.
Property Disputes
A property dispute often arises after one party damages another party’s property. Another frequent type of property dispute is between neighbors regarding breaches of property lines.
Less commonly, a property dispute comes up between two individuals or entities that disagree about which one owns a piece of property.
Torts
Torts take place when an individual alleges that another party caused him or her physical or emotional damage. Assault, negligence, and personal injury civil cases are all considered torts.
Auto Accidents
Auto accident lawsuits get filed when a driver and an insurance company can’t come to an agreement about compensation after a crash. This agreement could be regarding vehicle damages or personal injuries.
For example, you’ve probably heard local stories of wrongful death suits filed after car accidents. A wrongful death lawsuit is one type of auto accident civil case.
Class Actions
Class action cases are virtually the same as torts. The difference is that groups of people file class actions while individuals file torts.
Usually, the main complaint of a class action is personal injury. For example, if a group of people alleges that a product caused them harm, they might file a class action against the manufacturer of that product.
City Complaints
Complaints against the city can escalate to civil cases when the city fails to settle with the plaintiff. The case begins as a complaint from the plaintiff alleging that a city policy fails to protect or directly causes harm to its constituents.
Many complaints against a city or even the federal government get settled before seeing a day in court.
Is One of These Types of Civil Cases Happening to You?
There are many different types of civil cases. Foreclosures, contract and property disputes, auto accident cases, class actions and torts, and city complaints are some of the seven most common we see in courts across the country today.
Do you need advice for a civil case you’re involved in? You’ve come to the right place. Keep scrolling for more legal tips and tricks to help you win your case.
