“The judge found him guilty in the wrongful-death lawsuit.”
Usage Entry 1401 / 1605 60-second read
Guilty vs. Liable
A finding in criminal law versus a finding in civil law.
The comparisoni
“The judge found him liable in the wrongful-death lawsuit — civil cases find LIABILITY. Criminal cases find GUILT.”
The ruleii
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GUILTY = criminal. LIABLE = civil.
GUILT is the criminal-law finding ("guilty beyond reasonable doubt"). LIABILITY is the civil-law equivalent ("liable on the preponderance of evidence"). OJ Simpson was found NOT GUILTY of murder but LIABLE for wrongful death — the same conduct, two standards.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Guilt = jail. Liability = pay.