I wish there was a lawyer posting here to give us some answers about a civil suit against Julia. My understanding had always been that someone who was found financially liable for wrongdoing in a civil litigation could not later be tried in criminal court for the same offense because it would be considered double jeopardy. There have been several cases, of which the only one I can presently think of is the O.J. murder trial, where family members of the victim(s) filed civil charges
after the accused was acquitted in a criminal trial. The only instance I can think of in which a civil suit was filed preceding criminal prosecution is Desiree Young's civil suit against Terri Horman in Kyron Horman's disappearance. I think DY filed the suit out of desperation, though, thinking a civil suit was the only way to expose information leading to Kyron. But, the civil case was abated when supposedly new evidence was found. This article explains the actual reasoning behind the abatement:
http://www.katu.com/news/local/Lega...Horman-case-a-hint-of-progress-181287271.html
In that article, the Chief Deputy DA is cited as stating in court records that "premature disclosure of the information ... could jeopardize that on-going investigation." So, revealing evidence surrounding Kyron's disappearance in a civil case would hinder the investigative process necessary to prosecute the case in a criminal court. From the same article:
So, it appears that the problem of filing a civil suit in advance of a criminal suit might not be double jeopardy, but revealing evidence from the criminal investigation to support civil litigation could damage the prospects of successful prosecution in a future criminal trial. I definitely see the application to Sky's disappearance. Solomon has been working closely with investigators, so he wouldn't file a civil suit without consulting investigators. The only reason they would possibly advise him to file a civil suit would be if they felt they didn't have a solid criminal case with the evidence they've obtained. So, the fact that Solomon hasn't filed a civil suit against Julia is a promising sign that investigators are confident about future criminal proceedings. I hope I am correct.