[mechanical_fish]

Yes, this is true. It's in the U.S. Constitution, in fact.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jury_trial#Civil_trial_procedur...

The right to trial by jury in a civil case is addressed by the 7th Amendment, which provides: "In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law."

Though there are also details that matter. Here's one:

The right to a jury trial in civil cases does not extend to the states, except when a state court is enforcing a federally created right, of which the right to trial by jury is a substantial part.