BY DAN HORN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The brother of shooting victims Maher Khrais and Ziad Khreis filed a wrongful-death lawsuit Wednesday against a woman he blames in the deaths.
The lawsuit says Mr. Khrais' wife, Linda Khriss, masterminded a murder-for-hire plot that resulted in the deaths of the men Nov. 22. Nidal Khrais filed the suit in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.
Although Mrs. Khriss was found not guilty of criminal charges in a trial earlier this year, she could face financial penalties if she loses the suit.
Unlike criminal trials -- in which defendants must be guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt" -- the standard for civil cases is based on a "preponderance of the evidence."
The lower burden of proof means Mrs. Khriss could be liable for damages if a civil jury concludes she was involved in a plot to kill the men.
"What is in here is all lies," Mrs. Khriss said Wednesday after seeing the lawsuit.
At her criminal trial, prosecutors unsuccessfully argued that Mrs. Khriss asked a friend, Ahmad Fawzi Issa, to hire someone to kill her husband. Mr. Issa was convicted of murder last month for hiring Andre Miles for the job.
Mr. Miles is on trial charged with murder this week and could face a death sentence if convicted.
