Injury litigation handled by Oklahoma City personal injury lawyers most frequently involves cases of negligence: �automobile accidents, defective products, premises liability accidents, medical malpractice, and others. �However, it is not uncommon for a crime victim to seek financial compensation from the defendant who caused his or her injuries through a civil lawsuit. �A criminal conviction may give the injured victim a sense of justice; however, it does little to compensate for the physical and financial toll of injuries sustained in a criminal act or act of violence. �A personal injury claim related to a criminal case will often involve an automobile accident or wrongful death lawsuit following a DUI accident. �Another common civil suit related to a criminal offense is seeking financial damages following an assault.Assault and battery can lead to years of suffering by the injured victim, but the criminal case is often prosecuted as a misdemeanor, resulting in minimal jail sentencing. �Even if the offender is charged with felony assault, the conviction does not alleviate the financial burden of the crime victim. �In these cases, crime victims may wish to hire an Oklahoma City assault and battery injury lawyer to seek financial compensation from their attackers. �Through a successful civil suit, a crime victim may receive compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, reduced quality of life, funeral and burial expenses, and more.Because the burden of proof is lighter in a civil case than a criminal case, a plaintiff may be able to receive a damage award even if the defendant is not convicted of the crime. �In a criminal case, the defendant must be proven guilty beyond the shadow of a doubt. �In a civil case, it must only be demonstrated that there is a "preponderance of evidence," that it is more likely than not that the defendant's actions caused the victim's injury. �One notorious example of this legal difference in action is the O.J. Simpson case. �In 1995, Simpson was acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. � Goldman's family then brought a wrongful death lawsuit against Simpson, and Brown's family brought a survivor's suit. �The children of Brown and Simpson were awarded $12.5 million as part of their mother's estate, and the victims' families were awarded $33.5 million.Civil litigation following a criminal assault is not isolated to Hollywood. �In Oklahoma City, injured police officer Chad Peery has filed a lawsuit against the three men who attacked him outside a local bar, resulting in his paralysis, and against the establishment that continued to serve alcohol to the intoxicated men and who lacked sufficient security on the premises.Crime victims have a number of options for personal injury litigation following a violent crime. �From a premises liability lawsuit against an establishment with inadequate lighting or security to a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit against an assailant in an assault and battery case, civil litigation can be a much needed means of financial recourse.
The Phillips & Associates Oklahoma Law Blog
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