collocation · academic
civil lawsuit
UK/ˈsɪvəl ˈlɔːs(j)uːt/US/ˈsɪvəl ˈlɔːˌsuːt/CIV·il LAW·suit
A non-criminal legal action in which one party sues another for compensation or remedy.
Examples
“She filed a civil lawsuit against the company for breach of contract.”
“Civil lawsuits can result in monetary damages rather than imprisonment.”
“Many disputes that start in small claims court are civil lawsuits.”
Band 8 sentence
“After months of negotiation failed, the claimant initiated a civil lawsuit seeking substantial compensatory damages.”
Collocations
- file a civil lawsuit
- settle a civil lawsuit
Word family
Common mistakes
criminal lawsuit→civil lawsuit
press criminal charges→file a civil lawsuit
Say it for a higher band
5file a complaint→6take someone to court→7+civil lawsuit
Synonyms
civil action
Easily confused
criminal case
“The criminal case focused on proving guilt beyond reasonable doubt, while the civil lawsuit sought compensation.”
Related words
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In Crime & Law
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