Business Law class: From Torts, we turn to Criminal Law. A tort is a wrong committed by one person against another, causing damage. Meanwhile, a crime occurs when an individual violates a criminal statute that prohibits and punishes certain conduct. For example, a verdict of not-guilty in a criminal assault or battery case does not prevent victims from filing a civil suit for the same action. In other words, a person can be found civilly liable and be forced to pay damages arising out of the same incident, even if they are not convicted (i.e., found not guilty) of a crime. This is what happened when a civil court awarded a $33.5 million judgment in compensatory and punitive damages against O.J. Simpson, despite the fact that he was not convicted for the crime of murder. (On page 231, your book provides that “Not Guilty Might Not Mean Innocent” in reference to the O.J. Simpso
n trial.) In many respects, the underlying purpose of both are similar. Both tort law and criminal law are used to identify and take actions against wrongdoers as well as to deter future wrongs from occurring. If the focus of tort law is what a victim can do about harm that the victim has suffered, then the respective focus of criminal law is on the person who commits a crime. Although crimes often have immediate victims, the ultimate victim of crime is—by and in large—society. Given that, consider the following – On March 4, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency. Skim his declaration: On March 4, 2020, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra issued a consumer alert about Penal Code Section 396. Read the consumer alert: Read also the Memo of the U.S. Attorney General to U.S. Attorneys: Take the time to also skim and analyze Penal Code 396: