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O.J.'s Appeal Rejected

The California Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected O.J. Simpson's bid to overturn the $33.5 million civil court judgment against him for the deaths of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

Charged in criminal court with murdering his ex-wife and Goldman in 1994, Simpson was acquitted by a Los Angeles jury. He then was sued in civil court for wrongful death by the victims' survivors, and was found liable for the killings and ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages.

Simpson, who has said he can't afford to pay the damages, asked the Supreme Court to reverse the judgment, saying the civil case was "built on top of a failed prosecution, a prosecution which was suspect for corruption, fraud, contamination, coercion and collusion."

None of the high court's justices voted to review Simpson's appeal.

To be held criminally liable in California, a jury had to find Simpson guilty of murder "beyond a reasonable doubt," which it did not.

In the civil trial, a different jury had to agree to a lesser standard, that Simpson was liable for the deaths by a "preponderance of the evidence." To award damages, the civil jury had to find liability by "clear and convincing evidence."

©MMI The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

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