Anything classed as a lawsuit in courts at any level in the United States will be a civil action suit. They are different from criminal law cases where the desired outcome is to prove if someone is or is not guilty of a particular crime. Civil action suit goals included working to find negligence or harm to another person that is not criminal in nature, then compensate the individual for any damages that have occurred. All states hear civil action suit cases as well as those heard by federal courts. Depending on the state and the type of civil suit there may be limitations or caps on the amount of compensation the victim can be awarded, despite the actually harm that has been done. Medical malpractice cases are capped or limited in many states, as are some liability cases. In some states the amount that the attorney can charge based on the award in the case is also restricted to a percentage of the total.