Jury cases are either criminal or civil.Civil cases are disputes between private citizens, corporations, governments, government agencies, or organizations. Usually, the party that brings the suit is asking for money damages for some alleged wrong that has been done. The party that brings the suit is called the plaintiff; the one being sued is called the defendant.
A criminal case is brought by the state, city, or county against one or more persons accused of committing a crime. In these cases, the state, city, or county is the plaintiff, and the accused person is the defendant.