Prosecuting Perjury. A new series

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Whatever the number, it is a tiny fraction of the lies--even the obvious lies--told under oath in the tens of thousands of depositions taken every year in federal civil suits. So who does get prosecuted? One case involved an expert witness who lied about where he received his medical degrees. Another concerned a man paid $20,000 to lie in the deposition. These lies were part of efforts to corrupt the judicial system itself. Several prosecutions involved people who lied about their finances to creditors in bankruptcy cases. Clinton's lie at issue (if it was a lie) involved a sexual dalliance--and one unrelated to the actual subject of the lawsuit. In fact, the judge in the Paula Jones suit ruled the Monica Lewinsky business immaterial, and ultimately ruled the Jones suit itself invalid. Prosecution for perjury in these circumstances, Clinton supporters say, would be ludicrous.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/1998/08/is_civil_perjury_punishable.html