Irvine Civil Litigation Lawyers Can Send a Strong Message

If you have been a victim of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse and you call the authorities, there may be subsequent criminal prosecution. This is well and good, and if the perpetrator is proven to be guilty, he or she will get the appropriate punishment. This being stated, what about you as the victim? Yes, the person that abused you may be in jail, but you are living with the damage that was caused by the abuser.

Under these circumstances, you have legal recourse, and you should certainly explore your options. Our Irvine civil litigation lawyers can potentially file a lawsuit seeking damages from the person that victimized you. In fact, even if the individual was found innocent in criminal court, jurors in a civil case could see things a different way. As a case in point, consider the infamous O.J. Simpson case.

He went through a long, highly publicized trial, and many people around the country were tuned in to the daily live telecasts of the spectacle. Without question, the parents of the victims were very interested in the outcome of the trial. Though many people felt as though it was a miscarriage of justice, he was ultimately acquitted of the murder charges.

In addition to his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, a young man named Ron Goldman was also murdered on that fateful night. His parents were not willing to accept the not guilty verdict and allow O.J. Simpson to get away without suffering any penalties, because they were absolutely certain that he was the killer.

When civil litigation is initiated, the plaintiff is going to seek damages, and there are two different types of damages that can be awarded by the court. Compensatory damages are intended to compensate victims for things like pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment, emotional stress, and loss of consortium. Punitive damages are the other type. They are intended to serve as a form of punishment that has a deterrent effect.

In this case, the jury found in favor of the Goldman family. They awarded them $8.5 million in compensatory damages, and $25 million in punitive damages. As a result, Simpson was placed in a difficult financial situation, and it led to another crime that put him behind bars for years.

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If you would like to discuss a potential case with one of our Irvine civil litigation attorneys, send us a message or give us a call at 714-406-4554 to request a consultation appointment.