What is the difference between a wrongful death and a murder?

A:

Murder is a criminal case, and is filed on behalf of the citizens in a specific state or federal district. A civil case is filed by the victim's family members. In civil cases, you must prove that the other party is guilty "by a preponderance of the evidence," which essentially means more likely than not. In criminal cases, the accused person is "innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."

Take the O.J. Simpson case, for example. Simpson was found "not guilty" of first degree murder by the state of California because the charges could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. However, Nicole Brown Simpson's family successfully sued O.J. Simpson for monetary damages in a wrongful death suit.