Chattel Any piece of personal property that is not real estate or property permanently attached to or associated with real estate. Churning A scheme whereby a broker excessively trades the accounts under his or her management in order to profit from the commissions. Circumstantial Evidence Evidence which does not relate directly to the facts and hypotheses of a case, but from which an inference must be drawn. Any court proceeding that is not a criminal case. A person's liability under civil law, as opposed to under criminal law.
Civil liability is enforced by monetary damages.
Civil Rights Personal rights and freedoms from repression that are guaranteed by Constitutional, federal, or state law. Claim A demand for resolution or remedy of a grievance, or for something that is rightly the claimant's. Claimant A person who asserts a claim. Class Action A civil court action in which one party consists of a group of people sharing a common legal position or suffering a common problem with respect to the opposing party. Clear and Convincing A level of proof in a civil case which requires more than a preponderance of the evidence, but less than proof beyond a reasonable doubt.