Eli5 – How can someone be proven not guilty of murder in criminal court but still sued in civil court?
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You don’t prove someone not guilty. Not guilty is the default, everyone is presumed innocent. The prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty. If they fail to do so, a jury must find the person not guilty.
Being found not guilty doesn’t mean the person didn’t commit the crime, it means that the prosecution didn’t put forward a strong enough case against the accused to meet the legal standard for being found guilty.
Civil court has a significantly weaker standard for culpability so its way easier to get a judgement against someone in civil court than it is to prove them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in criminal court.
Just ask O.J. Simpson
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