So did the trial judge. So did the California appellate court that affirmed the verdict. Chaplin paid anyway. O. J. Simpson probably won't. Fortunately, most murderers can't afford tham.
Many civil litigants can.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are routinely put in play in patent and antitrust disputes. Cochrans and Clarks swarm all over big jury cases, like maggots on a cadaver. And what you get is the Simpson trial. Process stacked a mile high. Judge Ito is in fact overseeing the very best that modern American law has to offer.