In breaking news, a jury has found actor Robert Blake liable in the death of his wife Bonnie Lee Bakley.
Robert Blake was acquitted of murder in a criminal trial about eight months ago. He has now been held liable for wrongful death by a civil jury and ordered to pay Bakley's children $30 million in damages.
As any attorney (or any observer of the two O.J. Simpson trials) will tell you, it all comes down to the difference in the burden of proof between civil and criminal court.
In a criminal trial, the standard of proof is "beyond a reasonable doubt." As a result, sometimes the guilty go free for lack of sufficient proof. That is by design, in order to protect the innocent.
In a civil trial, the plaintiff has to prove his/her case by "a preponderance of the evidence" (something more than 50%, however measured) or sometimes by "clear and convincing evidence," which is still a lower standard than beyond a reasonable doubt.
It also helped the plaintiff that Robert Blake had to testify in the civil trial, and a unanimous jury verdict was not required.
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