> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.melonly.xyz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Court Cases

> Review court cases on the Law panel and convict, acquit, set bond or deny bond.

***

## What are Court Cases?

A court case (hearing) is how charges get decided when your server doesn't apply them automatically. Judges review cases on the [Law panel](/CAD/User/law) and decide the outcome.

There are two types:

| Type | Purpose |
| - | - |
| Bond hearing | Decide whether a held civilian can pay bond to leave jail before their trial |
| Trial | Decide whether the civilian is guilty of the charges |

***

## When Cases are Created

* A police or law record with charges is filed. Charges that hold for bond create a bond hearing. Criminal or determinable charges, or a Summons record, create a trial.
* A civilian contests a ticket or requests prosecution from their [Court Hub](/CAD/User/court-dmv-hub).
* A licence reaches its maximum points and its template is set to File Court Hearing.

<Note>
  If Auto Prosecution is on in [Law settings](/CAD/Admin/law#configuration), no cases are created. Charges apply as soon as the record is filed.
</Note>

Record templates can change this too. Don't Prosecute Charges creates warnings with no penalties, Don't Hold or Bond skips bond, and Summons sends non-criminal charges to court.

***

## Review a Case

Trials are listed in the **Pending Hearings** card. Bond hearings are in the **Bonds** card. Click **Open Case** to review one.

The record is shown on the left. On the right you'll see:

* Bond hearings: a **Bond Amount** field. A bond of 0 releases the civilian without paying.
* Trials: the charges, which you can add to, disable or reset before deciding.
* A **Charges Summary** with the total fine, jail time, surcharges, licence points and suspension.

<Expandable title="Charge fields">
  | Field | Used by |
  | - | - |
  | Charge Title, Type, Counts, Act, Code, Class | All charges |
  | Fine | Criminal and Traffic |
  | Jail Time | Criminal and Determinable |
  | Licence Points (0 to 100) | Traffic and Speed |
  | Suspension Duration (0 to 365) | Traffic |
</Expandable>

Fines and jail go to the civilian on the record whose name and date of birth match. Points and suspensions go to the licence with the matching number.

***

## Deciding a Case

Every decision asks you to confirm and shows the penalties involved.

| Decision | What happens |
| - | - |
| Convict | Applies all enabled charges. The fine goes to the civilian's unpaid fines, jail time is added to any time they're already serving, and points or suspensions go to their licence. |
| Acquit | Clears the case. Any bond paid is refunded and holds are lifted. |
| Set bond | Turns the case into a trial. The civilian stays locked until they post bond. |
| Deny bond | Turns the case into a trial. The civilian is held until it's decided. |

Convict and Acquit close the record. If you need to fix a closed record later, use **Edit conviction**. This only changes the record, so adjust fines, jail and licences separately on the Law panel.

### Max-points licence cases

Cases opened because a licence hit its maximum points show licence controls instead of charges. Add points, end a suspension or suspend the licence, then click **Save licence changes**. Convict or Acquit then closes the case without changing the licence further.

***

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