Double jeopardy, if I recall, applies to criminal prosecution. Further, the charges were different--in a wrongful death suit, it isn't necessary to prove that someone actually killed the person. Just that they in some way caused the death. Now, in this particular case, the plaintiff's assertion (not prosecution, as there were no criminal consequences) was that the defendant actually killed the people for whose deaths he was being sued. However, if the assertion was different, it could still have been wrongful death.

Standard caveat about not being a lawyer. I don't have the specialized knowledge that's so important in a case like this.

__________________
Gillian

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