From liberal, Trump hating, Newsweek
"This is a much lower standard than in criminal trials, in which the prosecution's contentions must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt," Florey said. "The preponderance standard could be satisfied if the jury is only 51 percent confident that the plaintiff's version of events is true, whereas in a criminal trial, the jury must have near certainty that the prosecution is correct.
"Liability for sexual assault means that the jury has concluded that the plaintiff has satisfied the preponderance of the evidence standard and that the defendant must pay damages to compensate the victim. There are no criminal consequences to a finding of liability."
The word "liability" is also key. As Notre Dame Law School professor Jay Tidmarsh, an expert in complex civil litigation and civil procedure, told
Newsweek, "civil cases do not speak of 'guilt' or 'innocence'" but instead "use the language 'liable' or 'not liable,'" as reporting of the
jury's verdict repeated.