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Usually people bring civil suits in order to get justice for some wrong that has been done to them, not to get paid for being an instrument in the revenge fanta
by wfo 10y ago
Usually people bring civil suits in order to get justice for some wrong that has been done to them, not to get paid for being an instrument in the revenge fantasy of a billionaire. I think the jury certainly has a vested interest in knowing if the case is of the first type or the second. Society most definitely does.
In this case it's the first. What those of us who are looking at this case with more long-term consequences in mind are worried about is the second.
- Natsu 10y ago> Usually people bring civil suits in order to get justice for some wrong that has been done to them The jury can decide whether some wrong has been done based on the facts of the case itself. If some wrong has been done, that's true regardless of who footed the bill. If no wrong has been done, that's true regardless of who footed the bill. Judging cases based on who we do and do not like is something our justice system has been set up to avoid.
- wfo 10y agoIt's not about who we do and do not like. Civil cases have a very, very low standard of proof (not really proof at all - 50% + 1 means you just need to hint suggestively that a thing happened and collect your cash) and can be brought for essentially any reason. They are prone to abuse and often used vindictively, or as harassment, or as a tool for leverage in negotiations, or because a person was found not guilty. If we do as you suggest then the justice system is just acting as yet another mechanism for the wealthy and powerful to enforce their will upon the poor and powerless.