CHAPTER 2: Legal Procedures: Journey of a Case through the Courts

If you were the defendant in the following cases, would you opt for a jury trial or a bench trial? Why?

A. A 12-year-old guest at a hotel broke her spine and became a quadriplegic as a result of a dive she took into a hotel pool. The plaintiff claims the hotel was at fault for not maintaining the water in the pool at required levels.

B. A guest at a hotel was injured when an in-room heater exploded. To prove that the hotel was negligent in its maintenance of the device, the plaintiff will present as expert witnesses an engineer and a mechanic who specialize in heating systems. Both will testify concerning the mechanisms that operate the heater and the circumstances surrounding the malfunction at the time plaintiff was injured.

C. Matt, a state senator, is charged with bribery. He is accused of accepting money from several bars and restaurants in exchange for his promise to vote for a bill that would reduce the drinking age from 21 to 18.

D. A computer hacker permeated a large hotel chain's database of past and present guests' name,address, and credit card numbers. Many guests sued the hotel claiming it was negligent(careless) in its online security measures.