As O.J. Simpson has recently been in the news, some may have been wondering how he was found “not guilty” in his criminal trial but “liable” in a civil trial.
The question can be answered by looking at the standard that has to be met to “win” a court case. The standard that applies to define winning a court case is called the “burden of proof.” The burden of proof was different in O.J. Simpson’s criminal case than from his civil case.
O.J. Simpson was in the news lately when he explained, hypothetically, how his ex-wife may have been killed. As news outlets reported on Simpson’s hypothetical explanation, most news outlets stated that Simpson was found “not guilty” in his criminal trial but was found “liable” in a civil action brought by his ex-wife’s family.
How can it be that someone legally did something (as was proved in Simpson’s civil case) and also that the same person legally did not do that very same thing (as was proved in Simpson’s criminal case)?
Read more about the burden of proof in Lee’s article in the Lima News here: Legal-Ease: He did it, and he did not do it
Source: LimaOhio.com, “Legal-Ease: He did it, and he did not do it,” by Lee R. Schroeder, March 17, 2018
Lee R. Schroeder is an Ohio licensed attorney at Schroeder Law LLC in Putnam County. He limits his practice to business, real estate, estate planning and agriculture issues in northwest Ohio. He can be reached at Lee@LeeSchroeder.com or at 419-659-2058. This article is not intended to serve as legal advice, and specific advice should be sought from the licensed attorney of your choice based upon the specific facts and circumstances that you face.