Robert Blake not guilty, but he is liable

[Alex]

I've never liked it, and would prefer that civil reparations were somehow rolled into criminal trials (I know that in some countries, victim restitution is part of the criminal sentence where we keep them completely separate).

Unless the civil trial offers a differing theory of liability than the criminal trial, I think it should be barred. I also don't like trials in different jurisdictions stemming from the same criminal action (such as in the Rodney King cops being acquitted and then tried in federal court for the same act, though a different charge).