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Date Modified: September 9, 2023
Yes. Decisions may be appealed if a party is unsatisfied with a lower court’s decision. However, this process may be costly and not generate the desired results. Parties should consider why they were lost in the trial court before attempting to appeal the decision.
Video Transcript - Can Decisions Be Appealed in Civil Claims?
"0:00 Can decisions be appealed in civil 0:02 claims? Yes, decisions can always be 0:05 appealed in civil claims however it is 0:08 very difficult to appeal most decisions 0:11, especially when they were made by a jury 0:13 or if it's a factual determination made 0:16 by a judge, so the key in any of these 0:19 cases is to try to win your case so you 0:23 don't have to go up on an appeal. [Music]"
Investing a significant amount of time and money in a similar result would be wasteful to the parties and the judicial branch.
Although losing a trial means undergoing the settlement of that trial as soon as it ends, the person who lost the trial can ask their trial lawyer to appeal the decision in an appeals court. Taking your case to an appeals court allows you to change the settlement you received, but that only happens if your legal arguments are enough for the court to reconsider the civil or criminal law’s decision.
Many lawyers try to appeal the settlements in the cases they lose, but not many see its benefits. Therefore, you need to hire the best lawyer you can find for the matter since they are the ones who will find the mistakes they need to show the appellate courts for the previous decisions to be revoked.
Do you need a lawyer who can help you appeal any decision in your civil claim? You can always trust the Ehline Law Firm to help you with your legal needs. Read this article to learn more about appeals and how you can appeal a civil claim in your state!
How Do Appeals Work? Is a Trial Court Different from an Appellate Court?
Appeals courts work differently than trial courts, and they have a higher power over their decisions. Firstly, you can only contact appellate courts after going through an average trial since their main goal is to study and analyze the decisions given in those trials.
Appealing a court decision has a time limit, and while that depends on the state where you do it, it’s often within 20 days after the civil or criminal case gives its settlement, and you won’t be able to appeal once that deadline ends.
However, when you appeal a trial court’s judgment, there are more than two possible outcomes since the court can choose between accepting your appeal, denying it, or changing the settlement a bit.
There are many differences between appellate courts and an average district court, so here are the main ones between them:
Appellate courts often have a panel of judges.
You can’t submit any new evidence in an appeals case rather than an oral argument.
Any higher court can’t change settlements from an appeals court but the Supreme Court.
Appeals courts only study any legal error in the settlement the trial court determined and state if anything doesn’t comply with state regulations.
What Cases Can I Take to an Appellate Court?
You can take virtually any case to an appellate court, whether criminal or civil, and the process is practically the same in both situations. However, only the defendant can appeal the decision in a criminal case. Regarding civil cases, both the defendant and the other party can ask a higher court to appeal the decision given by the trial court.
As for the time you have to appeal the court decision, it depends on the state you are in or if the case was addressed at a federal court. Although you can take any case to an appeal case after a trial court sets a settlement, that doesn’t mean the appeals court will accept that claim, so everything depends on the details of the case and if you have a decent reason to appeal.
Can Decisions Be Appealed in Civil Claims? How to Do It
The short answer is yes; you can appeal any decision you want, even if it’s a civil claim. However, the process is not that different, even if you are in a different state or if you are trying to appeal a criminal case.
You can start the appeal process as long as the trial judge gives you the settlement of the case, and that applies, too, if it’s a federal court. When that happens, contact your lawyer and ask them to prepare a notice of appeal, attach a copy of the court decision and another one for proof of service of the prosecution, and file them to the Superior Court clerk.
There’s no need to worry about the appeals court don’t reading your notice of appeal since the court will study each judgment pending appeal they haven’t checked yet. Then, they’ll determine if any federal or constitutional issue could need you and the other party to establish an oral argument for them to listen to and question.
Since neither party can add any new evidence to the case, the panel of judges will determine if they should change anything about the initial settlement by studying your oral arguments and asking questions about them.
When people lose an appeal, they can file a habeas corpus in federal courts to show higher courts their constitutional rights were violated. However, not all habeas corpus complaints get accepted.
Summarizing it all, here are the steps to file a civil claim appeal:
Prepare a notice of appeal.
Attach a copy of the sentence.
Attach a brief of what happened at trial and your arguments to appeal the court decision.
File the notice of appeal to the appellate court.
Can the Supreme Court Appeal a Claim After an Appeals Court Rejects It?
As we mentioned before, you can take your case to the state supreme court or the United States Supreme Court if you think any appeals court or district court violated your constitutional rights. Criminal defendants can also appeal to the Supreme Court if they need it.
Nonetheless, anyone trying to reach out to any federal courts needs to have a strong argument if they want them to reply. If the Supreme Court accepts your case, you’ll be asked to give an oral argument as you did in the appeals court. Regardless of that, remember you can only reach out to the Supreme Court if you have already tried to use any other resource the country had available for you.
Why Should I Trust the Ehline Law Firm to Appeal My Civil Claim Decision?
Appeals are not something you can trust any lawyer since, even if it’s a civil claim, the settlement you got in the trial could change your life. No one deserves to get a sentence they don’t deserve, so the least you can get after getting an unfair court decision is an experienced lawyer who can file the best appeal they can for you.
We offer you a free consultation for your case and a team of qualified, experienced, and licensed legal counselors. Don’t hesitate to call us anytime you need an appeals attorney.
Bottom Line
Not many people know the information in this article about how an appeals court and the higher courts over a district court work. Therefore, they often don’t use their constitutional right of appealing court decisions. Don’t let that happen to you, and contact Ehline Law as soon as possible! We can help you file your notice of appeal and start preparing your oral argument right away!
Michael Ehline is an inactive U.S. Marine and world-famous legal historian. Michael helped draft the Cruise Ship Safety Act and has won some of U.S. history’s largest motorcycle accident settlements. Together with his legal team, Michael and the Ehline Law Firm collect damages on behalf of clients.
We pride ourselves on being available to answer your most pressing and difficult questions 24/7. We are proud sponsors of the Paul Ehline Memorial Motorcycle Ride and a Service Disabled Veteran Operated Business. (SDVOB.) We are ready to fight.
