You Decide: The Series

The US Judicial System has two sides.  The Criminal side deals with individuals who break laws.  On the Civil side, the justice system attempts to solve disputes when someone feels they have been wronged.  A classic example is a show like Judge Judy, where individuals bring each other to court over disputes they have or the commercials that ask if you have used a particular product.  Though a real civil case does not necessarily have the same theatrics as Judge Judy, it is important to understand how jurors come to their decisions and give the high rewards they occasionally do.  

This activity will explore exactly what civil cases are, how they are decided, and the issues that are decided in civil court. Each meeting will start with a brief overview of civil cases, so everyone is on the same page.  Then students will be given a real case where they will act as jurors to determine which side they agree with and to what extent, which will generally be represented by an amount of money.  Students should come ready to discuss their thoughts and apply what they learned about civil law.  It is best if they do NOT research the trial beforehand.  At the end of the class, students will find out how their decision compares to what the jury decided in the real trial.  

Week of Sept 18--Bullying leads to a broken arm
Week of Sept 25--Mistaken identity?
Week of Oct 1--Bedbugs! 
Week of Oct 8--Football injuries
Week of Oct 15--Bullying with head injuries
Week of Oct 22--Trespassing
Week of Oct 30--Medical Research
Week of Nov 8--Horse racing
Week of Nov 15--Charging bull
Week of Nov 21--Ford Pinto
Week of Nov 28-Life Insurance
Week of Dec 5-Tavern Owner
Week of Dec 12--Medical Misdiagnosis (this one deals with a cancer patient dying)
Week of Dec 19--Life Insurance
Week of  Jan 2--Media Influence (Deals with the Columbine School Shooting) 
Week of Jan 9--Passing cars 
Week of Jan 16--Misdiagnosis and Emotional Distress
Week of Jan 23--Explosives
Week of Jan 30--Theft and Insurance
Week of Feb 8--Moving Vehicle
Week of Feb 15---Horse race tripping
Week of Feb 22--Shipping Dangerous Material
Week of Feb 29--Case about Delivery (mother dies from childbirth)
Week of Mar 8--Prenatal drugs
Week of Mar 15--Case about Shortening
Week of Mar 22--Case about Smoking
Week of Mar 29-- Internet Posts
Week of Apr 5 --Case about being Fired
Week of Apr 12--Tylenol v Advil 
Week of Apr 19--Case about a Free Lunch
Week of Apr 26--Hazing
Week of May 3-Tree Climbing
Week of May 10--Amusement Park
Week of May 17--Hunting Quail
Week of May 24--Fireworks
Week of May 31--Fair Pay
Week of Jun 7 --Hairy Hand
Week of Jun 14--Delayed delivery
Week of Jun 21--House Paint
Week of Jun 28--Child Labor Laws
Week of July 5--Counterfeit clothing
Week of July 12--Case about Falling (German case)
Week of July 19 --Case about Boot Camp and Prison
Week of July 26--Case about Earplugs
Week of Aug 2--Case about Pollution Residue
Week of Aug 9--Case about a Scary Fire
Week of Aug 15--Case about a Short Sandwich
Week of Aug 21--Case about a hostage agreement
Week of Aug 29--Case about fake news
Week of Sept 4--A Case about grades
Week of Sept 11--Case about a sold out sandwich