ecedent) to sue the accused. However, in such "survival actions," the decedent is limited to recovering expenses and damages caused by the accused to the decedent during the decedent's life (California Code of Civil Procedure ยบ377.34).
On the other hand, a criminal case involves a law suit between a government agency authorized to prosecute such suits and an individual or organization (Nolo, Inc.). In such cases, the prosecuting authority is acting on behalf of the state, or society in general, rather than seeking compensation for any particular individual. Again using the Simpson case as an example, Simpson's first court case in the deaths of his wife and her friend was a criminal case. In that case, the State of California, through the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, sued O.J. Simpson for murdering his wife and her friend. Only specified government agencies, usually state or district attorneys, federal United States Attorneys, or state or federal attorneys general, can prosecute criminal cases. An individual or private organization, or even most state or federal organizations like social services agencies, c
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