General Discussion
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(2,237 posts)JTFrog
(14,274 posts)Same as OJ Simpson.
Travis_0004
(5,417 posts)If he is found not guilty in criminal court, he can not be sued in civil court.
bigdarryl
(13,190 posts)Of a civil suit.So I never heard of a person not being able to sue over the death of a family member.
Igel
(35,317 posts)Time to Google and maybe learn something.
Blackford
(289 posts)He chose not to take a stand your ground defense.
He is liable under Civil law and the standard is now preponderance of the evidence, not reasonable doubt.
X_Digger
(18,585 posts)Well, they can file a civil suit, but by state law, if your shooting is ruled self-defense, you are immune from civil suit.
The origin of this was from armed robbers' families suing the victims who shot and killed the armed robber.
Blackford
(289 posts)Zimmerman did not mount a Stand Your Ground defense.
He's liable in civil proceedings.
Hugabear
(10,340 posts)Hopefully they'll do that
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)Somebody tried to sue me (and 40 other defendants) in federal court 15 years ago for violating their civil rights and the judge ruled that the law didn't even apply to me because my actions were all as a private citizen (not to mention that what she claimed happened didn't actually happen, lol).
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)Mr. David
(535 posts)So the course is not civil, but rather upgrade it to Federal Hate Crime that is a Capital Crime that has a death sentence.
GZ will ultimately die in Marion, Indiana.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)Mr. David
(535 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)JVS
(61,935 posts)JTFrog
(14,274 posts)Although a wrongful death claim does not require a criminal prosecution in order to be viable, criminal prosecutions for murder or manslaughter may take place side by side with civil claims for wrongful death for the same incident. An estate may wait until after a criminal prosecution to bring a wrongful death claim to see the results of the criminal case. Prosecutors may decide not to pursue charges in a particular case, but this does not preclude a civil suit for wrongful death. While the two types of cases often proceed closely to one another, they are ultimately independent.
Because of the different burdens of proof, each case may have a very different outcome. The most famous example is the O.J. Simpson case from the 1990s, where a jury acquitted Simpson of the criminal charge of murder, but a civil jury found him liable for wrongful death and ordered him to pay damages.
The Deerfield Beach wrongful death lawyers at Goldman & Daszkal, P.A., represent the interests of Floridians who have lost their lives due to negligence or illegal activity, and work to preserve the rights of the decedents heirs and loved ones. Contact the firm through this website or at 888-504-HURT (4878) for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your case.
The National Crime Victim Bar Association
XVI.Conclusion
The civil justice system offers victims of crime another opportunity to secure what they seek most justice. Regardless of whether there was a successful criminal prosecution or any prosecution at all, victims can bring their claims before the court and ask to have the responsible parties held accountable. While money awarded in civil lawsuits can never fully compensate victims for the trauma of their victimizations or the loss of loved ones, it can provide valuable resources for crime victims to help rebuild their lives. For more information about civil justice for crime victims, or to order more copies of this booklet, please contact the National Crime Victim Bar
Association.
Igel
(35,317 posts)They give part of the story, and it's an important part.
It's not the whole story. Think of the story as having a "this is what usually happens" bit and then later the guy has to come back to account for exceptions and things that happen under specific conditions.
This is from
http://www.volokh.com/2012/03/27/floridas-self-defense-laws/
Not typically noted as a left-wing source. But he's a lawyer at UCLA law school. Don't know if he wrote this particular page or not.
------------
Fla. Stat. § 776.032. Immunity from criminal prosecution and civil action for justifiable use of force
(1) A person who uses force as permitted in s. 776.012 is justified in using such force and is immune from criminal prosecution and civil action for the use of such force, unless the person against whom force was used is a law enforcement officer, as defined in s. 943.10(14), who was acting in the performance of his or her official duties and the officer identified himself or herself in accordance with any applicable law or the person using force knew or reasonably should have known that the person was a law enforcement officer. As used in this subsection, the term criminal prosecution includes arresting, detaining in custody, and charging or prosecuting the defendant
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And that's it for a state-level civil suit.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Igel
(35,317 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)that 'no civil suit can be filed.'
Blackford
(289 posts)He did not mount a Stand Your Ground defense, so he is still liable under civil law.
meow2u3
(24,764 posts)Mr. David
(535 posts)and it _IS_ a federal hate crime matter now. The one that has the needle waiting for GZ.
Double jeopardy does not apply here.
Lex
(34,108 posts)senseandsensibility
(17,062 posts)I didn't want to post this before the verdict, but as soon as I heard there were no blacks on the jury, I knew that this would be the likely outcome. I feel so sorry for his parents.
arthritisR_US
(7,288 posts)me too!
Mr. David
(535 posts)GZ can still be charged with capital crime that is enhanced by hate crimes.
That will get him the needle. He deserves it.
JRLeft
(7,010 posts)Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)Ilsa
(61,695 posts)a big "Who cares?" DUers.
I hope the civil suit ruins Zimmerman's life.
Response to bigdarryl (Original post)
Purveyor This message was self-deleted by its author.
Lex
(34,108 posts)Or are you too busy touching yourself about Al Sharpton?
just wow.
I know what to do now.