If the title of an appellate court case appears as Jones v.Smith,
A)then it is correct to say that Jones is the plaintiff and Smith is the defendant.
B)it means that Smith won the trial court decision.
C)you cannot determine which party is the plaintiff,because when a defendant loses a trial and files an appeal,some courts (but not all)reverse the names of the parties.
D)the trial judge was Jones and the appellate judge is Smith.

Question

If the title of an appellate court case appears as Jones v.Smith,
A)then it is correct to say that Jones is the plaintiff and Smith is the defendant.
B)it means that Smith won the trial court decision.
C)you cannot determine which party is the plaintiff,because when a defendant loses a trial and files an appeal,some courts (but not all)reverse the names of the parties.
D)the trial judge was Jones and the appellate judge is Smith.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In appellate court case titles, the order of names does not necessarily indicate who the plaintiff or defendant is. The naming convention can change based on who is appealing the case, meaning the appellant (the party filing the appeal) is listed first. This does not always reflect the original positions of plaintiff or defendant at the trial level.

If the Title of an Appellate Court Case Appears as Jones