Having been on the attacking side of a lawsuit in recent years, of the most difficult type to win - defamation of character - I can attest to the problems with the system from a Plaintiff's side (remember, folks, I won this one in three different courts - probably should be in the Guinness Book - or at least earn me a Guinness somewhere).
Filing fees - it costs to try to defend yourself. Usually in the $100 to $500 range, depending on the court and the action being filed.
Subpoena fees - in my area, about $50 each.
Service fees - to get the subpoena to the person intended to be served - usually about $100 each.
Transcription fees - usually $75/hour and a minimum of $300 for a transcript plus $2/page.
Jury fees - usually about $185 in my area.
Expert Witness fees - can run into the thousands of dollars per hour, depending on the witness.
Lost income for court, depositions, hearings and arbitration (if required). Base it on your daily paycheck.
Not to mention, if the case is not a personal injury matter, such as defamation or hitting you, your attorney may not be able to take the case on contingency ("for a third of what I can get you, I'll get you all I can get you") and you have to pay your attorney's fees - in my area from $150 per HOUR to upwards of $500 an hour.
Now add investigator fees (usually around $150 an hour) and you have an idea of what it costs to bring a case forward.
Remember, also, that if you want a jury trial, you may have to meet minimum damage costs (often about $50,000) before you can do a jury action and you have to PROVE said damages. This means bank copying fees, which can run up to about $7 per PAGE.
In my case, I was awarded $4,500. One third of which went to my attorney and the balance of which was eaten up in fees and costs.
I was lucky and I had EXTREMELY good records of what happened, but I still could have lost.
There are no gurantees in court except that everyone will lie except the Judge. Judges have all the power and don't HAVE to lie about anything.
Respectfully,
Lee Darrow, C.Ht.
Foam Nunchuck, Deadly Weapon
Moderator: Available
Foam Nunchuck, Deadly Weapon
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by LeeDarrow:
Judges have all the power and don't HAVE to lie about anything.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Rule 7.
If you're going to 'glean' my material, Lee, let's credit it....
Murray/student
"She was 5' 8", 200 pounds, one great big bloodshot eye in the middle of her forehead, wearing a green garden hose as a belt...."
Darrow, L.
Like that.
[This message has been edited by student (edited November 05, 2002).]
Judges have all the power and don't HAVE to lie about anything.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Rule 7.
If you're going to 'glean' my material, Lee, let's credit it....
Murray/student
"She was 5' 8", 200 pounds, one great big bloodshot eye in the middle of her forehead, wearing a green garden hose as a belt...."
Darrow, L.
Like that.
[This message has been edited by student (edited November 05, 2002).]
-
Akil Todd Harvey
- Posts: 790
- Joined: Sun Feb 11, 2001 6:01 am
- Location: Tallahassee, FL
- Contact:
Foam Nunchuck, Deadly Weapon
Greetings All,
I have long practiced various martial arts weapons that I might not have with me in case they were needed (Bo, jo, escrima, tonfa, etc.)
After giving significant thought as to what I did have with me and could be a useful weapon, I came up up with the following that had not been mentioned: 1) a Book 2) a magazine or a newspaper 3) bag of books.
A book, for example, when held in your hands, open to a particular page can be so very useful. Take your left hand, hold underneath in the center along the binding, with the right hand at the base (using both hands you have more control and greater force potential. Close the book, holding upon the binding, use the strength of the binding to do your blocking for you and your striking (in case you have not conditioned your hands yet). Hammer strike with book binding to temple, hurts hand less, BG more.
Thrust the book into the bridge of the nose, the throat, etc. Few people imagine the book being used as a weapon, so it has potential to surprise. Dont underestimate the strength characteristics of the book.
Magazines & newspapers. Harder to convince anyone of their potential as a weapon, I should think, but if they are the only thing in your hand when you get the feeling that you are being scrutinized for something unpleasant, roll the items up into as tight a ball as you can and use it almost like you would a club or escrima. The tightly rolled newspaper/magazine will have decent strength characteristics laterally, but far greater strength longitudinally, thus it will thrust most effectively, but can be of some use for blocking and striking to the side of the weapon.
The book bag makes a great shield: shield your body with your book bag, this is especially important if they have a weapon that enhances their reach like a baseball bat or hockey stick, etc. The book bag will also make a useful bludgeon as you swing it occasionally to ward off the bg.
Years ago, I read a part of a book where a martial artist had climed that he could cause significant damage to a person with a straw. I thought about what straws were like when I was a kid and what they are like today. Way back then, you might be able to really hurt a person with a straw, but today, and not because of our litigiousness I cheefully note, you can barely get the straw out of its paper wrapper without breaking it.
$.02 may not help much, but it all adds up.
I have long practiced various martial arts weapons that I might not have with me in case they were needed (Bo, jo, escrima, tonfa, etc.)
After giving significant thought as to what I did have with me and could be a useful weapon, I came up up with the following that had not been mentioned: 1) a Book 2) a magazine or a newspaper 3) bag of books.
A book, for example, when held in your hands, open to a particular page can be so very useful. Take your left hand, hold underneath in the center along the binding, with the right hand at the base (using both hands you have more control and greater force potential. Close the book, holding upon the binding, use the strength of the binding to do your blocking for you and your striking (in case you have not conditioned your hands yet). Hammer strike with book binding to temple, hurts hand less, BG more.
Thrust the book into the bridge of the nose, the throat, etc. Few people imagine the book being used as a weapon, so it has potential to surprise. Dont underestimate the strength characteristics of the book.
Magazines & newspapers. Harder to convince anyone of their potential as a weapon, I should think, but if they are the only thing in your hand when you get the feeling that you are being scrutinized for something unpleasant, roll the items up into as tight a ball as you can and use it almost like you would a club or escrima. The tightly rolled newspaper/magazine will have decent strength characteristics laterally, but far greater strength longitudinally, thus it will thrust most effectively, but can be of some use for blocking and striking to the side of the weapon.
The book bag makes a great shield: shield your body with your book bag, this is especially important if they have a weapon that enhances their reach like a baseball bat or hockey stick, etc. The book bag will also make a useful bludgeon as you swing it occasionally to ward off the bg.
Years ago, I read a part of a book where a martial artist had climed that he could cause significant damage to a person with a straw. I thought about what straws were like when I was a kid and what they are like today. Way back then, you might be able to really hurt a person with a straw, but today, and not because of our litigiousness I cheefully note, you can barely get the straw out of its paper wrapper without breaking it.
$.02 may not help much, but it all adds up.
