Oj Simpson Case Summary

The legal issues for O.J. Simpson did not end with the trial's verdict because the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman had filed a civil lawsuit against him. The civil lawsuit was a wrongful death suit, which claimed that Simpson was responsible for the deaths of Brown and Goldman and sought financial compensation for the loss of their loved ones. The civil lawsuit was different from the criminal trial in several ways, such as: The standard of proof: In the civil lawsuit, the plaintiffs had to prove Simpson’s liability by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning that they had to show that there was at least a 50.1 percent probability that Simpson was responsible. In the criminal trial, the prosecution had to prove Simpson’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, …show more content…
In the criminal trial, Simpson was not required to testify, and the jury was not allowed to hold his silence against him. The civil lawsuit began in October 1996 and lasted for four months. The plaintiffs presented a similar case as the prosecution in the criminal trial, but with some additional evidence and witnesses, such as the photos of Brown’s injuries from Simpson’s abuse and the testimony of Simpson’s former agent, who said that Simpson had confessed to him that he had killed Brown and Goldman. The defense presented a similar case as the defense in the criminal trial, but with some changes and challenges, such as the absence of Johnnie Cochran, who had led the defense in the criminal trial, and the presence of Simpson’s deposition, which had contradicted some of his statements and actions. The jury, which consisted of eight whites, two blacks, one Hispanic, and one Asian, deliberated for 12 hours before reaching a verdict. On February 4, 1997, the verdict was announced, and Simpson was found liable for the wrongful deaths of Brown and Goldman and the battery of

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