Civil Plaintiff

in criminal procedure, a person (for example, a citizen or enterprise) who has suffered material loss from a crime, has filed a claim for compensation, and has been admitted to participation in criminal proceedings through the procedure established by the law.

A civil plaintiff (or his representative) enjoys the rights granted by the law to the other participants in the proceedings (art. 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the RSFSR and corresponding articles of the codes of criminal procedure of the union republics). In particular, at the session of the court a civil plaintiff and his representative enjoy with the other participants in the trial equal rights in the presentation of evidence, participation in the examination of evidence, and submission of petitions. Furthermore, whenever a civil plaintiff is a citizen, he enjoys the procedural rights of a victim. A civil plaintiff is required to comply with the order of the court to produce documents at his disposal that are related to the suit, within the limits necessary for the protection of his property rights and legal interests.