TASK. Interpret the following text at sight. Pay attention to the legal terms.

Reproduce the
information in your mother tongue.
Parties in a Lawsuit. “Parties” in a lawsuit are the people or organizations (such as businesses or nonprofit
groups) in whose names a case is brought.
 In criminal cases, one party is the government, called the state, represented by the prosecutor, and the
other party is the defendant.
 In civil cases, the party who brings a lawsuit is called the plaintiff, and the party against whom the case
was brought is called the defendant.
Many other names for types of parties exist, depending on the court and its jurisdiction. Using special names
for types of parties allows everyone to immediately understand the basic status of each party to the lawsuit.
“Legal entities” that can be parties. Only an “actual legal entity” may start a lawsuit.
 A “natural person” is a legal entity – and any number of people can be parties on either side of a
lawsuit.
 A corporation is a legal entity. It comprises a single entity which can be identified as one for the
purposes of the law.
 A business partnership, non-profit organization, group of citizens or others can be parties in a
lawsuit if the court accepts its name as representing one side of the dispute.
 The government may be treated as if it were a private party in a lawsuit, as a plaintiff or defendant in a
civil case.
“Legal entities” with restricted rights to be parties. A person must have the “legal capacity” to be a party
to a lawsuit.
 A child under the age of 18 years has what is called a “legal disability” – limited civil and social rights
under the law.
 Mentally ill persons, mentally retarded persons, and people who are judged mentally incompetent
because of illness, age, or infirmity also may have legal disability.
NOTE: Legal disability does not mean that people in these categories are removed from civil cases. The
claims or defenses of such a person usually can be asserted by a legal representative, such as a parent,
guardian, trustee, or executor. Prisoners also have limited rights as parties to civil cases.

TOPICAL VOCABULARY. Study the following terms. Provide their Romanian equivalents. Choose
ten units to make up sentences of yourown.
Courts: trial court, district court, court of claims, court of appeals, juvenile court, Supreme Court
Cases: lawsuit, civil case, criminal case, framed-up case.
Offences: felony, misdemeanor, murder, manslaughter, homicide, rape, assault, arson, robbery, burglary,
theft, larceny, kidnapping, embezzlement, bribery, forgery, fraud, perjury, blackmail, abuse of power, petty
offence, house-breaking, shoplifting, contempt of court; road traffic offences (for example, careless driving,
drink driving, speeding, unlicensed driving).
Participants of the legal procedure: judge; 1) parties to a lawsuit: claimant / plaintiff (in a civil case);
defendant; attorney for the plaintiff (in a civil case); prosecutor (criminal case); attorney for defence; 2) jury,
Grand jury, to serve on a jury; 3) witness; 4) probation officer; 5) bailiff.