A Civil Matter (Coursebook)

This book is designed for an introductory period class for the 1L year or as an introduction to a course in civil procedure. A Civil Matter chronicles Neely v. Fox of Oak Ridge and Benjamin Curd, a personal injury/negligence action in a federal district court resulting from a rear-end automobile collision. The book uses the lawsuit to introduce students to the civil litigation process, covering the basics of civil procedure from jurisdiction through pleading, discovery, motion practice, and trial. Importantly, there are hyperlinks throughout the book to rules of procedure, case law, and the pleadings and documents that make up the court docket. So, for example, when reading about the parties initiating the lawsuit, the reader can access, by hyperlink, the rules involved as well as the actual complaint that was filed in the action. The chapters contain questions for students to answer by reviewing the linked documents, causing them to conduct a review of the entire docket sheet and its contents as well as relevant case law, statutes, and rules. This process should enhance students’ understanding of the context and content of a civil lawsuit governed by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.