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45 Times Lawyers Lost A Case Because Of Their Clients Saying Or Doing The Dumbest Things
Interview
If you get into serious trouble, one of the best things that you can do is to listen to your lawyer. They see your interests as their priority, and they (probably) know the legal system far better than you do. So, following their advice is (usually) the best course of action.
However, some folks have such big egos that they won’t listen to common sense or genuinely good expert advice. Inspired by user u/Sunieta25, the lawyers of Reddit spilled some hot tea about the dumbest things their clients did to ruin their cases, and it was jaw-dropping. We’ve collected some of the spiciest stories to share with you. Scroll down to check them out!
We reached out to the person who sparked the entire intriguing online discussion, redditor u/Sunieta25, and they were kind enough to share their perspective on lawyer-client interactions. Check out what they told Bored Panda below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I was defending a client who was accused of trademark infringement. Thought he knew better than the IP Attorney assigned to his case (me) and so went on his company's website to "defend" himself by basically confessing to what he did and claiming it wasn't against the law and the trademark owner was a "woke baby" who needed to either "learn the law" or "get back in the kitchen and make her husband a sandwich" ( i wish i could say i was joking). I was one email away from negotiating a settlement that would have allowed the continued use of the complainants mark with limited restrictions and a very nominal fee. Little to say, she saw his website, told us to go f**k ourselves, and dragged it before a judge. My client lost...big. His lack of self-control cost him thousands of dollars.
Comedy Clumbers 1 year ago
I see Grumpy Cat, "Good!" tardar.jpg 
(RIP Tardar Sauce)
Alisha Brun 1 year ago
He's sounds like a misogynist that deserved to pay. Probably won't learn however.
Marina M. 1 year ago
Sadly, some people only learn through their wallets. Maybe he'll at least remember because he had to pay...
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Dumb teenager 1 year ago
I feel sorry for the lawyers who have to defend people like this, the idiocy and arrogance must be physically painful
Tabitha 1 year ago (edited)
Lawyers defend obviously guilty people all the time, including those caught red-handed committing their crimes. In those situations, the lawyer’s job really isn’t to win the case and have their client go free, but to be sure their civil rights are protected and they get the fairest trial and sentence possible.
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Ouss Ben Aziza 1 year ago
Aahahah this guy is out of a cartoon...Like this level of misogyny and stupidly is...amazing.
Bored Panda was curious to find out what had inspired the OP to spark the discussion on Reddit in the first place. They were happy to share the story behind it.
"I thought of the question after watching the video of the guy that joined Zoom court while driving and his case was about driving while his license was suspended," u/Sunieta25 opened up to us.
"I saw his lawyer's face trying to keep her composure from sheer stupidity and was thinking, 'I wonder how lawyers even handle stupidity from their clients?'"
RELATED:
#2
Not a lawyer, but I am a former police officer and spent a lot of time in courtrooms.
One guy was on trial for a DUI, and he wanted the judge to know that the cop who arrested him was "just some punk kid". He insisted that he'd only had two bottles of wine and his lawyer keeps trying to get him to stop his stream of verbal diarrhea and he just keeps going
Eventually the judge says "I think you should take a moment to confer with your attorney" and the guy says "Don't interrupt me, I'm not a child!"
Judge smiled and leaned back and said "by all means, please continue". dudes attorney just looked like he was deflating.
Bols 1 year ago
"only" two bottles, wow! And how did he think interrupting a judge would be a good idea :D
Tired-Panda 1 year ago
Not defending him at all, but from what I read and how I interpreted it, it actually seemed like the judge interrupted him not him interrupting the judge. It wasn't a "bad" interruption though, the judge was trying to help the guy by stopping him from digging his hole any deeper by suggesting he speak with his attorney. Then the guy told the judge not to interrupt him. I love how the judge was just like okkie doke, here's your spade, dig as deep of a hole as you can! And the poor attorney, bless him 😂
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Remi (He/Him) 1 year ago
Had to go check, because in my experience two bottles means shïtfaced so I checked a calculator. The imaginary male of 30 years and 110kg drinking two bottles in 4 hours has the blood alcohol level of 1,7‰ which is more than three times the legal limit and will make even walking unstable. the time needed to burn that alcohol is 17,5 hours
Tom Brincefield 1 year ago
The scary part isn't that he was still conscious, it's that he drinks so much, he doesn't consider that a large amount.
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Vinny DaPooh 1 year ago
Best advice I ever got from a lawyer was to keep my mouth shut and let them do the talking. Answer everything in as few words as possible. Make the other attorney earn their pay and dig info out of you. Don't volunteer it willingly.
Bill Swallow 1 year ago
I repeat my earlier comment, "Isn't it funny how often the size of the Mouth and the size of the Brain are inversely proportional?"
Fire Singer 1 year ago
Both my sister and I were selected for jury duty (different days, different cases, different cities even, but both within the same year). Both of us had the judge say to the defendant something along the lines of "Only answer the question you were asked, do not elaborate." Defendants couldn't take the hint and dug themselves into guilty verdicts.
#3
I was on a jury where the defendant showed up in court day 1 wearing the same exact outfit as the “unknown suspect” in the video of the crime. It took only a few seconds before the judge immediately called a stoppage. All lawyers went into the back with the judge and they came out like 7 minutes later as announced the defendant had taken the plea deal. Wild.
David Paterson 1 year ago
It isn't in the public interest for crooks to be smart.
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The Darkest Timeline 1 year ago
Are people this stupid? Yes, they are. I watched a video yesterday of a guy who checked into his hearing via video (I guess that’s a thing?). He was in his car and told the judge he was driving to a doctor’s appointment. Why was he having to “appear” in court? Because he has a suspended license. The judge revoked his bond and ordered him to turn himself in later that day. The guy looked shocked after he realized what he’d done. Also see: Trump getting sued again for defamation after he lost his case against E Jean Carroll. Idiots!
Mike F 1 year ago
Funny thing is, that turned into a whole saga. What started out as a YouTube hahaha turned into TV news reports and all kinds of stuff! Poor Judge Simpson typically deals with a lot of mental midgets, but that guy deserves an award.
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Stephanie A Mutti 1 year ago
I had one show up with the same crazy hair cut the witness described. He was CERTAIN the witness would NOT identify him. smh
SuperChicken 1 year ago
Of course, not. He's wearing different clothes, that should do the trick.🤪🤦♀️
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Upstaged75 1 year ago
Like that idiot guy who showed up to a Zoom court hearing for driving without a license WHILE he was driving. The judge was flabbergasted!
Seadog 1 year ago
Local bank got robbed back in the 80's. Guy dressed as a woman was the unknown suspect. They published camera photo in the newspaper and immediately the phones lit up. Multiple people telling them exactly who it was. The guy would always go all out at Halloween in school. So everyone who knew him, recognized him from his school days....only a few years earlier.
According to the author, they were completely taken by surprise by how much their thread blew up all over Reddit. They had a fantastic time reading through the stories that the lawyers shared.
"I read almost every story in the thread and had a bunch of good laughs while I ate my cereal," u/Sunieta25 told Bored Panda.
In their opinion, it's vital that clients actually listen to their legal representatives.
"I haven't been in any position where I needed a lawyer, but I'd advise clients to listen to their lawyer because they went to school to study law," they said.
"They know how the judge will respond to testimonies. Take their advice and cooperate the best you can and maybe you can get out of trouble."
#4
Around 1990 there was a guy on trial for armed robbery. He pled not guilty. A witness on the stand identified the defendant. The defendant jumped to his feet and roared, “I should have blown your head off when I had the chance…..” pause, thinks, adds, “if I had been the one who robbed you…”.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
Nah this guy's book was called "Yeah I did it, I mean..."
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Bob Brooce 1 year ago
That had to be a lot earlier than "around 1990", because that story is a lot older.
#5
With the utmost certainty in his voice, he yelled at the arresting officer that “It’s not domestic violence; I’m on public property!”
You could tell from his face he really thought he had the cop over a barrel on this one but….
Hphizzle 1 year ago
“You see officer it wasn’t in a house, therefore not domestic.” “I see your point. Then it’s assault, pubic disturbance, endangering the life of a civilian, etc. Shall I go on?”
Claire Elise 1 year ago
This is where one kind of wishes the arresting officer had stooped to his level and wiped that look off his face...
Mycroft1967 1 year ago
Reminds of Ron White bit. Arrested for being drunk in public after being thrown out a bar. I was drink in private until they threw me into public.
SuperChicken 1 year ago
"...I had the right to remain silent but i didn't have the ability."
Load More Replies... Bad Alchemy 1 year ago
In my experience, abusers aren't the most self-aware or intelligent people on the planet.
Nimitz 1 year ago
I remember growing up in the '80s and people just kept their mouth shut. You'd think a town of less than a thousand people would string up a guy who beats the s**t out of his family, but people just kept quiet. Even guys who touched kids got left alone. I'm glad we call it out nowadays, and we need to continue to push. It's less common, but we haven't done enough
Riley Quinn 1 year ago
Leave it to an idiot to dig a bigger hole instead just shutting their pie hole.
#6
IANAL, but I used to review disability claims so I often worked with clients who had lawyers.
A man whose attorney had instructed him to not speak with us directly (a very smart, very basic recommendation) called me up to rant, angrily, that his lawyer was wrong. He COULD shop for groceries and mow the lawn and do all sorts of house work JUST FINE, thank you.
Now I had seen this man’s medical records. There’s no way he was doing all of this without difficulty. So I probed a little further. He could shop for groceries… as long as he used a mobility scooter and had his wife carry things in the house. He could mow the lawn… if he used a riding mower and took a lengthy break every 10 minutes or so. He could do house work… which was limited to wiping down counters and folding (but not carrying) laundry. I called his attorney and gave them a quick update as soon as he and I hung up.
I approved his claim, but that man is so damn lucky he got someone who was willing to take an extra 15 minutes with him.
grotesqueer 1 year ago
It's the new enema delivery syringe designed by Apple
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2x4b523p 1 year ago
My grandma has done the same thing when social worker came in for assessment. Luckily the social worker kept asking her questions when mum said grandma can’t do any of those things anymore, like wash herself, dress herself or prepare a meal. Some people are just too proud to admit they need help.
Kaa 1 year ago
My Dad too when the social workers came to assess his disability grade. He was easily a 3/5 (grade 1 is light, 5 severely disabled in our country), but told his "view" like a 1/5. Of course he got approved grade 1 only. Only weeks later his health had deteriorated and the palliative care guys helped him get a 4, but it was a huge loss of financial support for those weeks only because of his sense of pride. :/
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Janice 1 year ago
Speaking as someone disabled, no one wants to admit they can’t do things. When I went to my disability hearing, my attorney told me not to shower for 2-3 days, no makeup, and what to wear. I had planned on doing full makeup and getting dressed at least business casual. The (newly) disabled want to be functional and admitting you can’t do something is admitting defeat. I don’t mean to sound like I’m speaking for all disabled people, but I have yet to meet one who didn’t feel this way
Connie Hirsch 1 year ago
That level of disability is at war with his self-image, and having to admit to needing help is injuring his pride.
Sweetie Dahling 1 year ago
If anyone is curious: the statue in the background is Light of the Moon by Igor Mitoraj. You can see it in Scheveningen, Netherlands
Bubba Jones 1 year ago
I've been fighting with workers comp for 34 years now, good luck to anyone injured at work.
somnomania (she/her, queer) 1 year ago
christ, anyone who's filed for disability knows you have to really ham it up or they look at your absolute best day and declare you should be able to manage that on ALL of your days. i can do a lot of things "just fine" in the moment but a lot of them will leave me in horrendous pain two or three days down the road, hence why i can't work any feasible job anywhere even remotely close to me, or even from home.
Chapman Steffler LLP points out that lawyers can actually reject clients. For example, they might do so if there’s a conflict of interest or a massive difference in personalities. Meanwhile, the legal representative might also be swamped with work or their client might not have the financial resources to buy their services. At the end of the day, what an attorney does will depend on their ethical code.
Clients should avoid lying to their lawyers. It sounds obvious, sure, but it bodes well to keep this in mind. If you lie, you’re only going to make your representative’s work much, much harder. Not only that, but this will damage any sense of trust that you’ve already built between the two of you. They might even decide to drop you as a client to avoid any issues in the future.
#7
Not an attorney, worked in a firm. Workers compensation claim, guy falls down at work and claims he injured many different body parts(Shoulder, Knees, Back). We tell him to stay off social media. No problem, he doesnt use social media. At trial, he tells the Judge he used to be a Spin Class Instructor, but since the accident, he cannot teach classes anymore. Welp..turns out, he continued to teach these classes after his injury. This was proved by the HOURS of surveillance the Insurance company did, showing him teaching and vigourously riding in Spin class. How did the Insurance company know he was still an active instructor? The guy posted his Full Teaching Schedule on his FB page. His potentially very lucrative claim, was quickly changed to a fraud claim against him.
Jonas Fisher 1 year ago
That last line demonstrates why there is such public mistrust of lawyers. This guy didn't have a "potentially very lucrative claim." It was always fraud. The fact that the lawyer who wrote this saw it as "Oh man, if he had just been smart he could have gotten so much money!" is what is wrong with the profession. I'm all for lawyers doing their best for their clients, but the lack of self-awareness shown here is troubling.
Connie Hirsch 1 year ago
Stupid clients lie to their lawyers. Client probably told the lawyer he stayed off social media, and lawyer believed him. Insurance company didn't, and had only a little bit of investigation to bust him.
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Vinny DaPooh 1 year ago
Know of a case in NYC where a lady was seeking money from an injury she received while riding a public bus that got into an accident. She didn't realize those busses have cameras and footage showed her getting on the bus after the wreck.
Rocket Surgeon 1 year ago
Face. Book. Not Social. Media. Those words aren't even close to the same. I rest my case your honor.
Kare Deter 1 year ago
I don't know why you are being down-voted, that's comedy gold and probably EXACTLY how that idiot interpreted it!
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Riley Quinn 1 year ago
I'd take my chances defrauding the IRS before I'd attempt an insurance scam.
Milady Blue 1 year ago
Should have been more explicit in instructions to the client. "Don't post ANYTHING on Facebook, Instagram, You Tube, Tik Tok, " and whatever other social media programs out there.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
Why? People like this are criminals committing fraud. Let them have enough rope to hang themselves with.
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#8
Not my client but the petitioner attorney’s client. The man claimed Workers’ Compensation and threw the kitchen sink at us, meaning, he basically listed just over half of his body parts on the claim petition stating that he injured each one. He was full of s**t and my firm knew it. Anyways, we were going to trial and the day before we ran one more social media search. This absolute f*****g moron posted a video of him winning a break dance competition that was only a few months after the alleged work incident. Never saw a quicker dismissal in my life.
Michael Largey 1 year ago
"You know, it takes two to tango." "Yeah, but only one to break dance."
#9
My mother was in court as a witness, in a case of criminal harassment between two of our neighbours. We basically knew that the case was ridiculous and a sham - the accused neighbour was totally innocent and was being falsely accused by the local trouble makers, who kept on provoking him and who then wanted to be able to sue him for easy money.
Anyway, by pure coincidence, the defendant was secular Jewish, just like my parents. It's literally just a coincidence.
The two trouble maker neighbours, who were also there, were very angry to see my mother in the court. One of them then stood up in the middle of everything and yelled some c**p about how my mother is a Jew and only there because the defendant is a Jew and Jews apparently always stick to help eachother.
The judge immediately ripped him to shreds and threw the case out.
Jesse 1 year ago
I recognise the courtroom picture used as a reference. It's where the Nuremberg Trials of 1945 were held. Interesting place, I was there last month.
Danish Susanne 1 year ago
If USA is like Denmark you cannot just get out of witnessing. I have just been called to witness in a fraud case and was told, that if I don't show up the police will come and get me.
Whether or not to trust your lawyer is a serious consideration. It’s best to do some thorough research on them before you commit to them. Lawyer Monthly suggests checking out any potential legal representatives’ or their firms' websites. One way that you can tell that the organization is legitimate is that the site has a security certificate. This means that they care about your online security and privacy.
In the meantime, look up some online reviews about the firm or lawyer to see what folks have to say about them. Skilled and trustworthy experts generally mean good reviews and glowing testimonials. Meanwhile, you can look up your (potential) representative’s credentials on your country or state’s bar association website to see if they have the right to practice law in the first place.
#10
Client in the interview with police:
Police officer: “I don’t care how angry you are- you can’t go around threatening to kill a 5 year old!”
Client: “I didn’t threaten to kill her!!! I threatened her mother!!!”
He thought there was some sort of distinction there. We took a plea deal.
Chriss21 1 year ago
Worse ethically, but legally it's pretty much the same
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John L 1 year ago
Sad part this is intentional, not a fluke. They misstate the facts to get the "perp" to correct it. Works surprisingly well and is a common tactic. One good reason (innocent or not) never speak without a lawyer present.
Marcellus II 1 year ago
Not sure where the "sad" part lies. POS threatens to kill a person ($.20 says he's in a relationship with), and affirms to policeman that he made the threat. Where's the downside? If he hadn't made the threat he'd argue he didn't.
Load More Replies... Danish Susanne 1 year ago
Reminds me of a man who was accused of kicking a police dog. He explained that he was not trying to kick the dog, he was trying to kick the police man. I think it didn't really help his case.
Nimitz 1 year ago
After my mom divorced my abusive dad the local cops would pull her over for no reason and call her by her married name (after she changed it back to maiden). Straight up trying to intimidate her into going back. "Looks like you're missing a tail light Mrs. Husband's Name. Maybe you should go home and get your man to take a look at it." Don't trust cops kids. Especially in religious towns
Mgtow Smurf 1 year ago
Making a Terroristic Threat to anyone is against the law and can get you arrested.
Colleen Glim 1 year ago
It’s called “Uttering death threats.” Strangely, the local police don’t like it
Load More Replies... #11
NAL, but my uncle used to be a prison manager at the local prison in the area of NZ where I grew up. They had 'court' hearings when the prisoners had done something against the rules etc, they'd go before a couple of the prison workers and explain, kinda like an internal hearing I guess. Uncle was the 'judge' for a lot of these. One dude had been found with a cellphone. Denied up and down that it was his, didn't know where it came from, blah blah blah. Uncle asked him several times if he wanted to own up, guy absolutely INSISTED it wasn't his. Uncle "well, someone's wasted a hundred bucks on a phone then" Prisoner "F**k off, I paid $600 for that!" Uncle "............." hahahahhaa miss his work stories.
John L 1 year ago (edited)
Funny how people can't help themselves in "correcting" misinformation, especially when you aren't the sharpest knife in the drawer....irony.
Nikki Martinez 1 year ago
This works on the internet, too. Dont ask a question, state something incorrectly. Everyone is willing to correct you; few are willing to offer the right answer.
detective miller's hat 1 year ago
One of our dumbest EVER clients managed to sneak a cell phone into prison. I was pretty impressed.
#12
Not a lawyer but I know a cop who went to a report of a guy being mugged. "What did he steal?" "£275 in cash and about thirty £10 deals of crack and Heroin" "Really?" "Yeah. It was _______ that did it, known him years and he's a rival" *Cop writes statement detailing what happened and what was stolen* "Sign here if that's all absolutely correct and exactly what happened and was stolen" *Guy signs* "Cheers. You're under arrest for being concerned in the supply of Class A d***s" The cop prosecuted the caller for possession with intent to supply AND the guy that robbed him for robbery and possession with intent to supply 😂🤦🏻😂.
Colleen Glim 1 year ago (edited)
Didn’t even need to give this clown enough rope to hang himself. He brought his own
JP Doyle 1 year ago
It's like the local guy here who called the cops because someone stole from him and damaged his basement door looking for stuff. Police asked if they could enter and examine the door. Guy said "sure, but don't look at the table just inside the door. That's private stuff." Officer took two steps into the house and stopped in astonishment. The table in front of him was covered in baggies, a scale and a couple kilos of fun white powder being repackaged. There was also a large bag filled with an illegal (at the time) green weed. Guy thought he was covered if he didn't give the cops permission to look at the (in plain sight) table.
Danish Susanne 1 year ago
But to be on the safe side he made sure the cops would not overlook that table.
Load More Replies... Riley Quinn 1 year ago
You can own up to your sleazy behavior with your attorney, but it's a not recommended method with law enforcement.
Being silent and doing nothing are two great pieces of advice. If you’re in hot water, the last thing you want to do is cause even more trouble for yourself. If your lawyer is even halfway decent, you have to trust them with your case and that they’ll represent you to the best of their abilities.
Take their tips to heart. You stay calm, quiet, and polite when you’re told to do so. The legal system is so intricate that even doing something you think is ‘harmless’ can come back to bite you on your behind later on. Interacting with the other clients, attorneys, or judges beyond what’s allowed can lead to some really nasty results later on.
#13
Client was being sued and didn’t like the opposing counsel or the judge so he left the court a bunch of voicemails so profane that he was subject to a criminal contempt of court hearing.
RosenCranzLives 1 year ago
Sounds like a Convicted Felon with the family name of dRumpf. I mean, his/her minions.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
It really does. Attacking the Judge and his family is never a good move.
Load More Replies... Hphizzle 1 year ago
This is like a Final Boss level Karen/Kevin. Like there is shopping at a store level, parking spot level, neighbor/HOA level, then the final boss level. Doesn’t like how people at the court act, so they have to call and complain in the worst way possible. Have fun in jail!!!
#14
I was called for jury duty and was sitting in the courtroom watching the other potential jurors get questioned by the attorneys, just waiting for my possible turn to be questioned. One of the charges was aggravated assault. The defense asked one juror (who was a professional videographer) if her career made her more or less likely to put stock in video footage. To me, this was a hint (but not admission) that video footage would be a big part of the case. Before the juror could even answer, the defendant yelled from his table "I had a mask on! You can't even see my face!" The entire room went silent for about five seconds before the defense attorney regained his composure and asked the judge to dismiss the jury pool. The judge dismissed us back to the holding room. Five minutes later, one of the clerks of the court came in and told us (even the already selected jurors) that the trial was being rescheduled and we were all dismissed.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
Instant mistrial. New trial, new jury. Tons of on record ammo for the prosecution thought.
Charity Angel 1 year ago
I'm sure that's exactly what happened, but what a waste of tax money. Dude confused, in court. Screw a second trial - give him a(nother) chance to please guilty, then move directly to sentencing.
Load More Replies... Apatheist Account2 1 year ago
Presumably the jury members can now be called as witnesses for the prosecution?
Vinny DaPooh 1 year ago
They shouldn't be allowed to call that a tainted jury. His admission of guilt should have wrapped the trial then and there
Matthew Savestheworld 1 year ago
Jurors cannot consider anything that is not evidience presented in trial. This is very important to the overall fairness of the system. When they heard that , they knew he did it so would be unduly predjudiced. That siad.. since it was in open court it would be used against him. I am betting that his attorney recommended he take the best plea deal he could get.
Load More Replies... Michael Fernandez 1 year ago
I was in jury selection, and they asked if any prospective jurors knew anyone associated with the case. One of the prospective jurors answered “the defendant stole my brother’s bicycle.” All of us were immediately sent back to the jury room, wasting several hours of court time and about two hours of our time,. (But jury duty was exceptionally boring pre-smart phone, so it was a welcome distraction).
Daniel Atkins 1 year ago
Is it normal for the defendant to be in the same place as the jury being selected?
Petra 1 year ago
If I'm not mistaken, you have the right to attend all court proceedings regarding your case.
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#15
Not me, but a colleague. A wealthy client's son got picked up for d**g dealing at a local music festival. The client bailed him out, and then had his whole fancy law firm defend his son.
The son shambled into the courtroom stoned off his a*s, and loudly attempted to buy d***s off the bailiff.
There wasn't a lot the lawyers could do after that.
Comfortably Numb 1 year ago
D**g deal 101: don't ask for d***s from the guy with a badge and uniform.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
But if you do make sure to ask if he's a cop because they can't lie about that. /S
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Rocket Surgeon 1 year ago
I love that BP made it look like the guy was trying to buy a set of male genitalia from the bailiff. Way to keep us from seeing bad words BP!
BoredPossum 1 year ago
I can't help reading d***s as dícks, making the posts even more surreal.
Joshua Seaman 1 year ago
Son was doing the outrageous thing of trying to buy d***s off the bailiff as a cry for help. I'm guessing he was just another rich kid whose dad didn't pay enough attention to him or show he loved him so he acted out to get the attention.
S. E. in Indiana 1 year ago
BP seriously, you censor the word d r u g s? What is wrong with your staff?
Do we have any Pandas with a background in law here today? What’s the very worst client you’ve ever had to deal with? How can you tell if a client is someone you might not want to work with?
If you’re feeling up to it, share your thoughts and stories in the comments section at the bottom of this post.
#16
Not a lawyer, heard this story from a guy I used to work with. His brother in law got injured at work and was suing for a hefty sum. Case was pretty much open and shut, all the evidence was in the BIL's favor... Until the BIL started talking. They ask him to tell them about the day of the accident. BIL started out fine until he gets to the where he approached the piece of equipment that injured him. He tell everyone that there was a note on it stating that it was out of order. BIL then says that he discarded the note and started up the piece of malfunctioning equipment as he had a job to get done... That easy win was discarded faster than that out of order sign.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
In my experience if a piece of equipment is dangerously broken you do more than leave a note. I had a forklift with failed brakes once and I pulled the key and disabled that battery so NOBODY could drive it. I didn't just leave a freaking note. If something is dangerous, you completely disable and lock it out until it's fixed.
Virgil Blue 1 year ago
Probably, but a safe action to any out of order note would be to see if you can find someone to ask what is wrong with it before you turn it on.
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Alisha Brun 1 year ago
Why is this photo of a nurse pushing a baby in a hospital. Have I really been messed up by epilepsy or is BP just started to sway a bit. The amount of adds that pop up are leading me to cancel my account..
Matthew Savestheworld 1 year ago
Depending on the circumstances that would not necessarily kill his claim. A lot of workplace injuries still hae to be covered by the employer even if the complainant was partially at fault. An injury received on the job while making god faith efforts to do your job. Job is supposed to cover you even if you are a bit stupid.
Laserleader 1 year ago
This doesn't specify what the equipment is, or if he had orders from a supervisor... It may not have even had electricity, lots of machines don't. That's why a trial is needed..
Bruce Johnson 1 year ago
Lock out, tag out. Company still liable ( maybe) for not disabling power supply. Still, nothing is idiot proof. Only idiot resistant
#17
Friend of mine used to be a latent print analyst. Going to get prints of a suspect arrested for breaking into a home to rob it. While she’s getting the ink and paper set up, suspect shouts, “whaddya need the prints for? She looked right at me when I kicked in the door!”.
Marcellus II 1 year ago
Counterpoint: Perp may be smart here! If he hasn't been fingerprinted before, adding them now the system may uncover many more crimes; a straightforward confession without fingerprints maybe the best option!! [Of course irrelevant as he'll get fingerprinted after conviction.]
#18
Not a lawyer, but I was in a courtroom watching injunctions (restraining orders) play out. One case the woman was there, but the man was in prison so he was calling in. After deciding on an agreement, the guy asked if he could make a statement. At the end of his statement, he said "and tell {the woman} to go f**k herself." He got an additional 6 months of prison. The guy asked to make another statement after getting a tongue lashing from the judge. And he did it again - telling her to go f**k herself. And got another 6 months. Imagine losing a year of your life because you couldn't shut up for 5 minutes.
arthbach 1 year ago
I've heard of cases where people deliberately increase their sentence as it puts them in different categories with regards to things like access to education, parole etc. There have been others who have committed crimes to ensure they got a safe, dry place to live, with access to medical staff.
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detective miller's hat 1 year ago
I have lost count of the number of people I have seen violate restraining orders because they couldn't just shut the fück up for 5 minutes.
Skid Marks 1 year ago
If he couldn't keep his mouth shut on the outside, imagine the trouble he will get into on the inside.
Deborah B 1 year ago
Imagine thinking that saying "Tell her to go f*ck herself" deserves six months in prison. I'm guessing American for-profit prisons, in a state that has committed to provide a certain number of prisoners (ie slaves).
Kare Deter 1 year ago
I am assuming it had to do with the restraining order and the mans open hostility toward the woman obtaining it. The judge probably was adding time to keep the woman protected as long as possible. When he gets out, who do you think his first visit will be to? That lil piece of paper doesn't keep women from being murdered by their abusers.
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Melinda Flick 1 year ago
Stupid, and too angry to restrain himself that she dared take him to court?
Marcellus II 1 year ago
Sounds quite made-up. Given freedom of speech etc, there's no way that a shout that's not a threat can have a six months prison per offence ticket. As it was a restraining order review, six months added to the restraining order per offence seems 100% reasonable; six months prison 100% impossible.
Tom Brincefield 1 year ago
It was also contempt of court, and possibly intimidating a witness.
Load More Replies... #19
I was a 3L student in school's family law clinic. We had one of those custody cases that just would not die. The husband remarried, and step-mom did not want bio-mom to exist in their happy family and dragged this mom to court for the smallest things to try and get full custody instead of 50/50 of her "spirit son." We were in court every other month just for this case. The court never budged on custody. Eventually, step-mom decided us meddling kids were the only thing keeping her from her "spirit son." Step-mom called the law school and made a complaint against my team accusing us of doing really horrible stuff to the child and threatening them. They then demanded we be expelled or the university would be sued. We filed an emergency hearing and told the judge everything and asked for sanctions and argued harassment. Judge found the couple in contempt for threatening us to sway the case. The judge then said he questioned their ability to effectively co-parent and act in the child's best interests. Mom was given primary custody, and they got every other weekend and some holidays. The judge also decided that given the couple's history, they were harassing the mom using the court and banned them from further custody filings. Later we found out the couple also filed a bar complaint against our professor too. That was investigated and found without merit.
Charity Angel 1 year ago
I'm assuming a 3rd year law student, but I could be wrong. It took me out of the story a bit to try and figure it out.
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detective miller's hat 1 year ago
Family cases like this are the most soul crushing. What people are willing to do to their children just to get back at an ex is mind boggling.
Hey! 1 year ago
My ex disappeared for 3 years (judge told him he was a slow thinker, since that's the reason he gave for ghosting us), then came back and tried to get full custody. After several attempts (because he never won), he was also told to stop harassing me. He was granted every other weekends, plus 2 weeks during summertime. He kept bringing back the children to his parents, kept them a few hours, or just a few days, then dropped them off - it was more like abandoning them. I had a super good relationship with my ex's parents so they complained and their son lost visit rights. Everyone was happy. The children are adults now and haven't seen him since then. That was maybe 30+ years ago.
Lori Sandoval 1 year ago
3rd year law student. In the US, and if you are going to law school full-time, that is the last year before you graduate.
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Jinx (she/her) 1 year ago
I'm guessing only to her lol. I've never heard it but it's cute enough I guess, I could see it as the step parents new "I love them like my own" label.
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#20
Im not a lawyer, this isnt my story. But, the lawyer who handled my business stuff and a legal dispute is a federal judge. Before he became a judge, he was a lawyer for divorces and civil stuff. A wealthy male client filed for divorce. Theres a prenup. Its pretty iron clad. It discuses the distribution of wealth, the alimony (if any) is laid out at x amount, increasing yearly based on inflation. Theres 1 major “exception” and that is “if you are caught cheating, cheating here is defined by any sexual contact with a person before the divorce is final, you automatically get the worst terms of the prenup.” In the womans case, (if she cheats) she gets zero alimony, and a 1 time payment of 100k. In the mans case, (if he cheats) he loses the main family home, all cars that are not his daily driver, and 1/4 of his business. (A buy out option is available, but doesn’t matter to this story) Lawyer gets to court and meets with his client in a conference room. And client is beaming. He shakes the lawyers hand. And says “hey! Mike!! I want you to meet jasmine. I met her 2 months ago. Shes amazing. We got engaged over the weekend in france!” And mike shook her hand and slumped in the chair and said “so, we got a major problem. You are cheating on ur wife with her. And legally, this is discovery im required to hand over to the other side” hes all “how the f**k am i cheating? We’re separated?!?!” Mike is all “cheating is any sexual contact before divorce is final. Its in ur prenup. That you wrote on ur own.” The guy flipped his s**t. Ended up being so mad, he ditched court. Which gave him a default judgement. Meaning she gets everything she asked for. + because of the cheating + not showing up, the judge ordered that the transfer of money happen with in 30 days. As part of the initial agreement between both parties. Hes not there to contest it. So, blam. The guy ended up trying to sneak the company to the new woman via a trust. But, its an illegal move. He also tried to hide the money with her by giving her 1.1 million dollars in cash (a bank transfer) but, the judge stopped that once ge found out and required the woman to repay the money since she was given notice also. He fought for years. And ended up losing money, time, energy, his business, house, 6-7 cars, and his new wife. Now, (cuz i know his daughter from work) hes a retired angry man living in rural new mexico. He cant afford to golf more than once a month. And he posts about how women are scum. Next morning edit: i certainly didnt expect this to blow up. Ty for the positive dm’s and replies. Ill try to reply if i see any questions in the thread to clarify stuff.
Zenozenobee 1 year ago
My neighbour accross the street was ranting yesterday because the city forced him to trim his hedge (it runs on the walkway so badly that you have to walk on the road). He was shouting in the middle of the street that we live in a dictatorship (Yep, that Bad), that it's all Macron 's fault (us French have a lot of reasons to be pissed at our president, but I'm pretty sure hedges are not his responsability) and that the only reasons they came after him him is because he's poor. He owns the two houses accross mine, 3 more in the neighbourhood with 2 appartements and inherited recently 2 houses in London. I guess he was "born before shame".
Load More Replies... Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
The more I hear about how complicated marriage can get the less interested I am.
Kare Deter 1 year ago
There's no real reason to actually get married any more anyway.
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Papa 1 year ago
It must have been inherited money. I find it difficult to believe he earned his money if he's that stupid.
Zoe Vokes 1 year ago
I can’t understand why the prenup would give so much to his wife during a divorce (if he cheats). He wrote it or at least his lawyers did. Isn’t he trying to protect himself? And doesn’t he know that he’s the kind of dìckhead that would cheat?
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Hobby Hopper 1 year ago
Why didn't he just say that he and his new girlfriend hadn't been "together"? I'm not advocating for dishonesty, but clearly the man was unscrupulous, so I don't know why he didn't just lie about it.
Danish Susanne 1 year ago
Because he was too stupid to understand what to lie about.
Load More Replies... Tabitha 1 year ago (edited)
Listen, this a*****e brought it on himself. The woman he got involved with while separated was very likely not the only woman he was involved with while still married. He was probably cheating throughout his marriage, but he thought this one was OK and his self-written prenup would protect him because he was separated. He should’ve sought the advice of his lawyer about how dating while separated would affect his case first. But no, he thought he knew better. Now he’s paying for his hubris. Big time. And it is 100% well-deserved because he tried all kinds of illegal and underhanded ways to screw over his wife in the settlement. Bet he tried it with the second wife too, only she knew his ways because she’d been a party to them in the first divorce. A prime example of A Number 1 A*****e in my book.
Enuya 1 year ago
And that's one of the maaaany reasons why if I'll ever get married, I want to keep finances and assets separate
Ephemera Image 1 year ago
Except in so many places, if you live together for more than a couple of years, you are considered common-law.Better to do legal prenups if you want to protect yourself.
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Page intentially left blank 1 year ago
Read your own writing dude. No one to blame but yourself.
#21
IANAL, but had a case against a totally insane neighbor that built a fence on my property. He had a court order to move it and only moved it about 3 inches. It was supposed to move about 6 feet. Up on the stand, judge said "You will move the fence to the correct place within 7 days or we'll find you in contempt of court. The rest of the charges will depend on your cooperation." (He was up for a few other things as well.) He said under his breath "I'm not moving that fence again." You should have seen that judge's head snap up. "What was that?!??" "Nothing." He was found in contempt that day, had to pay a fine and was doing weekend jail for a month. He also lost all the other cases.
Apatheist Account2 1 year ago
I suspect he asked for several other fences to be taken into consideration. I'll get my coat.
Leebo13 1 year ago
Not to mention the barriers to his freedom..............................
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ElfVibratorGlitter 1 year ago
Second instance of IANAL and no one's batting an eyelash. Jaded so quickly :)
Laserleader 1 year ago (edited)
What is the "weekend jail" nonsense? California gave my dad and father of 7 that sentence for a few months for pleading guilty of molesting his own three sons. How is putting people him in a cell every weekend punish him? It was a vacation away from his kids, even the ones he molested.
Danish Susanne 1 year ago
Poor guy. If he was doing weekend jail for the first month when will he be able to move that fence?
#22
Paralegal. Once had a convicted criminal explain to me how their murder charge should be overturned because the victim didn't die at the scene of the crime. The victim died at the hospital, therefore the defendant couldn't be charged with anything more than attempted murder.
Chihuahua Mama 1 year ago
Just call it Successful Attempted Murder and give them the same sentence as murder
Joe Reaves 1 year ago
I think attempted murder should always have the same sentence as murder anyway. The fact that you are incompetent doesn't change the fact you intended to murder someone.
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Manana Man 1 year ago
'He didn't die when I shoved him, officer. He died way down there at the bottom of the cliff.'
Sand Ers 1 year ago
Fun fact: if you assault and injure someone, and 30 years later lingering effects of that injury lead to their death, you can be charged with murder.
Vera Diblikova 1 year ago
My opinion - after 30 years or one day - ewsult is death, also murder. Only one problem is - in some countries after 20 years you can´t murder to sue. Is it the case?
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David 1 year ago
Actually this logic was accepted by a Judge when Lemrick Nelson stabbed and murdered Yankel Rosenbaum as part of a mob saying "Get the Jew". Because Rosenbaum came into the hospital alive, and he died in the hospital, that it was just attempted. A New York Judge agreed, and let that go to trial, where a jury acquitted him for a hate crime murder (8 of the Jurors being black, and none Jewish in a Black on Jewish Hate crime, and 3 of the jurors attended Nelson's victory party after, may have played a role), despite him admitting to the stabbing. He did get 10 years later in prison for violating Rosenbaum's rights by stabbing him under a civil rights case a decade later. But yes a moron judge allowed this logic into a court room, which led to a murder being acquitted, who went onto commit several more crimes before being killed himself in a road rage incident. BTW Austrialia's govt was furious over all of this, Because Rosenbaum was an Australian Student in the US.
arthbach 1 year ago
It's still murder or manslaughter if a person dies from their wounds. Some places use a 'year and a day' to put a time limit in place If they survive longer than that, there may well have been other factors involved, and a lesser charge is brought. However, with the improvements in medical science, this time limit has been removed in some jurisdictions, and each case is analyised to determine if the accused actions directly cause the person's death.
OneWithRatsAndKefir 1 year ago
Ah, yes; the 'I shouldn’t be gaining weight, I ate a salad with my McDonalds’ kind of arguement.
Tabitha 1 year ago
Listen, if a victim survives right after the attack, but dies years, or even decades, later from complications directly caused by the attack, it is still considered murder. It would get bumped up from attempted murder, the perpetrator may end up having a new trial with the new charges, and the sentence they’re already serving—-or have served and been released from—-would be increased because of it, and they will either be in prison longer, or go back to serve the new extension of their term.
Charity Angel 1 year ago
That's the same argument as the guy who caused the Great Heck/Selby rail crash. It wasn't smashing into his Land Rover that killed people, they died a couple of hundred feet down the line, where the derailed train was stuck by a second train that couldn't stop in time. Totally not on him at all.
Laserleader 1 year ago
In some courts he could have argued for manslaughter. I know three guys who beat someone to death, but they took three days to die horribly, and they got out in three years with that sentence.
#23
NAL - I was a legal clerk for a couple years in college. Still baffles me how this one made it all the way to trial. Lady slipped & fell at a chain restaurant, “hurt” her back irreparably, wanted a huge payout. Said she slipped on butter that was on the floor. On cross exam she was asked what type of butter, answer “the little pats of butter they put out in the buffet.” Defense immediately re-called the store manager…. The store had never used that type of butter. Case ended pretty quickly. Lol.
René Sauer 1 year ago (edited)
what type of butter? I would have told them " butter is butter, what do you think". Like I would bother checking what kind of butter it was if it happened to me.
#24
Client accused of punching another man & knocking a tooth out. He said numerous times on the stand that he had arthritis and was not capable of closing his fist to form the punch as described by the victim. Part way through his cross examination, the magistrate stopped him to state on the record that he had watched my client clench his fist numerous times since he made that statement. He was found guilty.
#25
NAL but watched as a girl in her early 20's giggled her way through sentencing on a petty theft charge. Instead of the same 30-day suspended sentence her remorseful looking co-defendant received, she got 90 days in county jail. She wasn't giggling after that.
Kare Deter 1 year ago
Giggling can be a stress response. She had an awful lawyer. I actually had that happen to me once at the most inappropriate time and the harder I tried to get it under control the worse it got.
The Other Guest 1 year ago
I was thinking it could be nervous laughter, too. Sometimes you just can't stop it, even though you know there's nothing funny about the situation.
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SheamusFanFrom1987 1 year ago (edited)
Giggity, giggity? Not after 90 days in the slammer, you ain't XP
Andy Cran 1 year ago
respect to the court no matter what, your future is their hands....I've had a colourful past in my less than mature youthful days and have been up before a judge a few times i always wore a suit been respectful, seen guys turn up in tracksuits and baseball caps get sent down for far less than I was ever up for
Peeka_Mimi 1 year ago
I watch a lot of arrests on YouTube and it's amazing how 90% of these people talk themselves into jail.
BoredPossum 1 year ago
I can't wrap my head around that disrespecting the court is important. Where I'm from, courts work with facts and only facts. A bad attitude has no importance. Judges have to follow strict rules and can't just do what they want because they feel disrespect.
Hey! 1 year ago
The one that she's called back - not quite out the door - and he gives her a bigger sentence?
Load More Replies... #26
The worst ones are the ones who think they’re smarter than they are. When it comes time for depositions, broad sweeping statements of how “I would never allow discrimination in my office” and how “I’m 100% sure I never said that” are a great way to destroy your own credibility, set yourself up to get eviscerated by opposing counsel, and ultimately turn a nuisance value b******t case into something worth six figures.
Moral of the story: if you’re going to ignore the entire day of deposition prep I did with you just so you can protect your own fragile ego on the record, at least do me the courtesy of telling me to f**k off ahead of time. .
detective miller's hat 1 year ago
Soooooooooooooo many of our clients think their google searches are more solid legal advice than the advice they are getting from their actual attorney. Like BRUH why tf did you hire us in the first place if you're not going to listen to anything we say??
#27
Not a lawyer, but a forensic professional. And this wasn’t “dumb,” the poor client couldn’t help himself. Like Ron White said, he had the right to remain silent, but not the ability. Involuntary commitment hearing of a very manic and psychotic man who was hospitalized after trying to break into his mom’s house by pounding on the door with his .357 magnum. After going into diagnosis and mental illness, etc, at length, the prosecutor rested his case having literally forgot to ask the doctor if THIS man met criteria to be committed. The defense attorney, with a surprised smile, was about to ask the Judge to dismiss the case (basically, he had “won”) when his client hauled on his sleeve and they had a heated whispered conversation. The attorney informed the Judge that his client was DEMANDING to testify, against his advice. After cautioning him that his testimony was not required, the poor man took the stand and launched into a rambling angry rant about a myriad of disconnected delusional thoughts until stopped by the Judge. His last sentence was, “Oh, and Your Honor, make them give me my gun back.” He was committed.
Chihuahua Mama 1 year ago (edited)
It kind of sounds like it's for the best that he got himself committed. He seems like he's a danger to himself and others
Robin DJW 1 year ago
I always wondered about that "danger to self or others" bit. How can you possibly know? Someone who is delusional and border-line psychotic can present as a peaceful person. Even if more agitated, the psychiatrists are willing to testify, based on treatment history, that they deem the person to not be a danger...etc. This is why my brother was discharged from his facility. Shortly after discharge he hung himself.
Sophia Athene 1 year ago
Sorry to hear that! Losing a family member is hard enough but losing them by their own hand is so much harder.
Load More Replies... nm (he/him) 1 year ago
The crazy defendant's lawyer was more than happy that his client was to be acquitted and get his gun back. FU servant of Justice!
Ian Webling 1 year ago
Was this manic and psychotic man with myriad disconnected delusional thoughts perhaps orange?
#28
NAL - my dad’s psychotic ex-girlfriend was trying to press bogus charges on my dad, in general trying to ruin his life and career. And his family - she attempted to make some things up about me, too. Had to go through interviews, detective’s office talks, APS visits. My dad and I filed protective orders. Her response to the POs, and I was afraid it would happen, was to vandalize a part of his property in a very gross and obscene way. She also went back to the detective to make another claim on me, saying I stole *her non-prescribed d***s*, so basically admitting she had illegal d***s. So she got a bit more than just protective orders against her; she had jail time, now, too. Good riddance!
#29
IANAL. I handle work comp claims. This one always cracks me up. Guy claims bilateral wrist injuries from repetitive motion cutting meat. We get "word" aka he posts on his Facebook about him competing in an MMA style event. Send surveillance there which gets this dude fighting with no issues.
Chewie Baron 1 year ago
British tabloids and weekday morning tv shows are full of stuff like this.
ArodTheHorrible 1 year ago
I-A-N-A-L... I-A-N-A-L... eye-eh-en-eh-ell!!! Now, who can write a jaunty tune for that?
Jane Hower 1 year ago
Difference between Lawyer and Attorney is that you are a lawyer when you graduate law school, but only BECOME an Attornwy when you pas the bar exam. So tecninically the term probably shoud be : IANAA
#30
I had an instructor who was a prosecutor. He called a witness who had seen the whole thing, and had an interest in seeing the defendent punished. Slam dunk case.
She thought she was on TV. She overacted EVERY WORD. Completely embellished the retelling of the events. Didn't lie, but she was the center of her version of events.
He said you could see the faces of the jury members sour minute on minute. He lost the case.
Seadog 1 year ago
Ah, but here we have the cause of many problems today. Far too many people think everything they see and hear on TV or read in newspapers is true and real. The majority of it is not including the stuff that should be.
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Chris Kelly 1 year ago
Ah, but they, I had who took her hubby to court. I can think of several 5 or 6 words that would fit his behave but BP doesn't think we're old enought. This guy was the worst, he he didn't pay upkeep 4 the kids, beat her all time ect. That was when he was bearabe. She finally took him to get divorce court, turns out they taped all of the hearing. The Judge court just not believe this guy, he told the judge he only beat her when she needed it. that included % hopital visits, 2 miscarrages ect. The Judge when right ago with him. then he told this a___ole how much is was good to hurt. To top it off the Judge aired that episode on tv. These one didn't get away. Good Judge
the dancing demon (she/her) 1 year ago
I am far too tired, I did not read that as prosecutor...
Hey! 1 year ago
She was in the wrong to start with. She was abusing what's his name.
Load More Replies... #31
What a question! How much time do you have? I have hundreds of stories of clients making dumb decisions! One particular client that comes to mind is a guy who committed a spree of burglaries... while on electronic monitoring for another case. The State brought a list of his coordinates to his bond hearing. I actually made the argument that he is clearly not a flight risk, since he actually kept his monitor on, and that the Court should release him on the same terms as his other case. The Judge looked at me like a crazy person and held my client without bond.
#32
It was a credit card fraud case in the early part of my career. He actually wore the stolen clothes to court and a clerk at the defrauded store identified them in front of the jury. I felt like the guy in the commercial that asks “want to be somewhere else?”.
#33
One of my BIL lawyers (there were three at one point) was described as incompetent and failing to provide adequate counsel by his former client, on death row, for failing to get an innocent verdict. The problem was that the client (since executed) went to his local bar immediately after committing the murder at a local grocery store in broad daylight, and proceeded to brag for hours how he'd killed the victim, in very specific detail. Also there were something more than a dozen eyewitnesses...
Stephanie A Mutti 1 year ago
You get a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel any time your client loses at trial. Some times people confuse lawyers with magicians.
#34
A friend was doing the workman's comp as well as suing the company for a few million. Could not bend over, raise his arms, plus everything he could think of. Taking the stand, using a cane. Lawyer ask him to read the highlighted parts from the local paper. A week before he had won a Marshall arts tournament. Can you explain that? Next fifteen minutes he explained each kick, punch etc with a big smile. I rest my case. Jury Forman ask the judge if they had to leave the room or could they just announce the verdict.
Donkey boi 1 year ago
No that's different. In this case it's the US Marshall painting competition, but it got a bit heated that year (hence the punches and kicks).
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Lori Sandoval 1 year ago
They should also add charges of perjury so people realize there are consequences when you lie on the stand after swearing to tell the truth.
Seanette Blaylock 1 year ago
Spell-check and some grammar checking would have made this a lot easier to read.
Danish Susanne 1 year ago
I am sorry for your troubles with the language. Personally I found it quite easy to read.
Load More Replies... #35
Assault case, when the witness took the stand, self represented defendant screams: "this witness is going to lie, there's no way he could have seen it, he wasn't around when I punched (the victim)".
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 1 year ago
After feeling smug, I hope he realised he just self owned himself
Danish Susanne 1 year ago
Reminds me of a defendant, who was asked if he knew anything about an assault on xx on January 5. No he answered I was out smoking when it happened.
#36
Age discrimination case. Client: "Age was never a factor". Memorandum written by client: "He's just too old to be effective any more." Client in deposition: "Age was a factor, yes". Settlement followed.
Dave 1 year ago
I'm old, but I suspect this will be misinterpreted. If you are hiring a delivery driver who must move boxes of X weight, you are not required to hire someone who can't. If a current driver can no longer lift X, you can terminate him as a driver (this wasn't because of a OTJ injury). If the reason he can't is simply because he got old, who cares? Technically, it's nit age; but it from age. Do we expect to see a 90yo dropping off our packages? If they can, great. If they can't, it might be "age." Change above: "He's just not effective anymore, maybe it's age, but it maters not. He is no longer effective."
The Other Guest 1 year ago (edited)
I get where you're going, and agree that if an employee is unable to perform their job duties, then they should no longer be doing that job. That doesn't necessarily mean immediate termination, though; if there are other jobs available within the company that the employee *can* do, they should be given the opportunity. If the company wants to cover their ass though, then age shouldn't even be mentioned as a "maybe." In your example of a delivery driver, "Employee no longer able to lift X pounds as required by the job description" might be a better choice. (Edited to fix accidentally repeated phrase)
Load More Replies... Tony Chambers 1 year ago
And, therefore, we can terminate him . Cold, stupid, and , probably not in the company's best interest. Use this person's experience in different ways.
#37
Not an attorney, but I was in the jury for a three defendant murder trial. We sat through weeks of testimony and from the sheer amount of direct evidence the state had, it was extraordinarily obvious very early on that defendant 1 had committed the crime. Defendant 2 (D1’s brother) and Defendant 3 (D1’s girlfriend) were much less obvious and we were being asked by the state to consider circumstantial evidence that left most of us feeling like we had to make some leaps to draw the conclusion they wanted us to. That is, until Defendant 3 decided to take the stand. Defendant 3’s attorney did a very good job of painting her as the victim of abuse. Her attorney had us feeling sorry for this poor, unintelligent, woman that had been groomed since she was 16 by a man 20 years her senior. From the attorney’s narrative, D3 was basically D1’s slave. He controlled what she wore, what she did, and even who she talked to. He even made her get a tattoo saying [D1’s name]’s property. We saw text about D1 killing D3’s puppy because D3 had made him mad about something small. We saw texts from D3 to D1 cheering him on after he had sent her pictures of a bloody knife (the murder weapon) but D3’s attorney had us questioning if those words were just her playing the role of supportive partner so D1 didn’t come after her next. We were starting to believe she was terrified for her own safety and that is why she did not report her boyfriend. I mean, clearly this man was a maniac and it seemed reasonable that she just didn’t know how to escape him. Then other defendant’s attorneys and the DA tore her apart on cross. They made her look argumentative, tripped her up in multiple lies, and by the time they were done, based on her own testimony it was pretty clear that she did in fact know the victim and had been the one to plan the entire murder. Shoot, we even started to feel like she probably manipulated D1 more than he manipulated her! The the other defendants did not take the stand. When we went to deliberations, we all discussed how bad of an idea it was for her to testify. We had decided defendant 1 was guilty on all counts within the first 5 minutes. Defendant 3 was almost as quick. We decided that while she did not physically commit the murder, she had conspired and was just as culpable. (Whatever formal charge that was.) Defendant 2 took the longest. We all felt pretty strongly that he was somehow involved, but that the DA had not meet their burden of proof of beyond a reasonable doubt. So we had to return a not guilty verdict on all counts. Edit for clarification: D1 and D3 were both found guilty on multiple counts. D2 was found not guilty.
Charity Angel 1 year ago
D2 is where Scotland's third verdict of "not proven" comes into play - it's exactly what it sounds like, and means that it's easier to bring a re-trial should new evidence come to light.
Tom Brincefield 1 year ago
In the US, there couldn't be a new trial, no matter what evidence comes to light. He can't be charged with the same crime again.
Load More Replies... Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
I feel like I've read this one before. This story sounds very familiar.
#38
Not an attorney, but one client of ours baffles me to this day. He had multiple cases, including aggravated battery and d**g possession, At the insistence of dude’s family, we moved heaven and earth getting him a bond, so that he could get out of jail and live with said family until the case was over. The whole process took weeks.
Less than a day after getting out, he was caught stealing $16 worth of batteries from Target. Bond revoked. To be fair, the line between stupidity and compulsion is blurred with this one.
EDIT: For anyone who’s curious, we immediately ordered a psych eval for him. He was found competent, but it also confirmed what he had mental health issues. The Agg. Batt. charge ended up being dropped, and he took a plea for time served.
Fellfromthemoon 1 year ago
Am I the only one who is disturbed by this story? Aggravated battery (that he possibly committed and definitely had a victim or two) was dropped, and possession (a form of self-medication OR the source of the mental health problems) led to a sentence.
Rocket Surgeon 1 year ago
I mean if you're going to go down for a joke at least steal salt as well.
S. E. in Indiana 1 year ago
I am surprised BP didn't censor the word Battery, after all they censored the word: d r u g. How ridiculous.
Comfortably Numb 1 year ago (edited)
Hmm, hey BP I'm not sure the photo version and story version of "battery" aren't quite the same Ok ok, I read this at 2am.... 2 types of batteries in this my bad!
OneWithRatsAndKefir 1 year ago (edited)
He stole batteries, the photo seems pretty relevant? But he did also commit battery, yeah.
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#39
Client added 9 years to a short sentence. He got like a year or 2 for being involved in a drag race that the other guy crashed and severely injured someone else. Then towards the end of his short prison term he tried to escape, got 9 more years for prison escape! He became friends with John Lennon's killer in NY prison, which was interesting.
Isabella K 1 year ago
Funfact: in Austria and Germany and several other countrys it is legal to escape a prison because the urge for freedom is part human nature. Just don't break anything or hurt anyone or steal something in the process or you will be charged for it. This includes taking your prison clothes outside, it is stealing prison property.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago (edited)
Fun fact, is some states in the USA, the prisoners themselves are pretty much prison property. Prison labor is literally 21st century slavery. Maybe not so fun fact now that I think about it.
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#40
Recently was in court and apparently part of the requirements of this guy was that he not talk to his family. He called his mother on Mother's Day. The judge said "your mother seems to care about your freedom as little as you do- put the cuffs on him." Edit- I don't know the perimeters of this case, I was just a by stander in court. The lawyer, in sweats mind you, said "Oh Judge, I told him. I told her. Can't fix stupid." It was wild to watch.
Loudawg76 1 year ago
No - they record their calls out of the prison phones and monitor
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Bryn 1 year ago
They told him not to call family. he did. lawyer told them not to. but they were stupid.
Load More Replies... #41
I was at court once fighting a traffic ticket and a guys lawyer was pleading no contest to a charge he got for having a fire arm on probation. It sounded like he was getting more probation and it would be done with that, then the judge says “do you have anything to say before we move forward” and the guy says “I didn’t know having a gun was against the rules. And I had a gun so I guess that makes me GUILTY”. Smiled like he just stuck it to the man, the look on the lawyer and judges face were of so much disappointment.
two-sided llama 1 year ago
Ok let me explain it to you what happened. This man was on probation for a former crime. One of the rules when you are on probation in America is you are not allowed to own a gun. This guy on probation was caught with a gun and was sent to court over it where they had to prove he actually had a gun and it wasn’t staged. Then at the end of the trial ( when I’m guessing the jury was about to do their deliberation?), he ( the defendant) was asked for last words. He then tried to stick it to the man and say he was only the bad guy for having a gun. Which meant he just admitted to having a gun on probation.
Load More Replies... #42
Client returns to court drunk after luncheon adjournment. Falls asleep, and his head drops right into the side of the witness box, whereupon he proceeds to snore. Loudly.
#43
Pro bono VAWA case. Should have been a straightforward petition. Ran a FOIA search on the client before the final submission just in case. Turns out she had been deported from Guam and then while her immigration ban was still in place she entered the mainland US without status (= permanently ineligible for adjustment). When I asked why she had not disclosed this during intake, her response was: "Oh, I thought Guam was its own country and not part of the US, so it wouldn't matter." .
CrunChewy McSandybutt 1 year ago
VAWA = Violence Against Women Act, FOIA = Freedom of Information Act
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
That's a really easy mistake to make. Most people have no clue where Guam even is, much less that it's part of the USA.
Johnnynatfan 1 year ago
It always amazes me that people, particularly Americans do not realize places like Guam and Puerto Rico are part of the US. I adopted a street dog from Guam and some people here in the US asked me if he understood english compands. YES THEY SPEAK ENGLISH IN GUAM!
Charity Angel 1 year ago
I feel there's more context needed here - it feels like half a story, even knowing what the acronyms mean.
Vicki Perizzolo 1 year ago
if it helps Agent Orange man has no clue Puerto Rico is a US Territory and never provided assistance post hurricane Maria.
Nix 1 year ago
To be fair, a staggering number of American-born citizens also don't know that Guam is part of the United States. I recall a facebook discussion I saw about the (at the time) new state quarters being released for the US territories and DC. There was a small, but very vocal, group in the discussion who were furious at the US Mint for making quarters that honored "foreign countries" and immediately started spouting off about "one world government" conspiracy theories.
BoredPossum 1 year ago
I think you have to know much more about American laws to get this one, acronyms aside.
ElfVibratorGlitter 1 year ago
Hmmm. Yeah, I wonder how it works with citizens of US territories... *Goes on a Google hunt*
doctorwho35 1 year ago
Tbh, I thought Guam was a country. Today I found out, it's a US territory. (I'm British, so I don't know much, if anything, about the US)
#44
Not in the US, but the judge asked if the defendant was remorseful (if you show regrets, you can have some leniency).
"No".
The guy didn't understand the question, and when he doesn't, he just usually says "no".
Claire Elise 1 year ago
Isn't the court required to have an interpreter? If he's not capable of understanding words like regret or remorse, aren't they required to speak to him so he understands?
Chihuahua Mama 1 year ago
Yes but he didn't say that he didn't understand, he just answered "no"
Load More Replies... Charity Angel 1 year ago
Presumably so that people wouldn't automatically assume this happened in the US.
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Lynette Hannan (Lyn) 1 year ago
My eldest has ASD and not an at age vocab. She would say no if she didn't understand the question as well. She says no to avoid a lecture/teaching moment. I think this is common for those on the spectrum...
#45
Client charged with DUI. Forced by police to give a urine sample on the side of a very busy interstate highway. Any sympathy the jury may have had for the defendant was lost however, when he fell asleep during the playing of the video of the traffic stop. He had been out all night partying the night before trial. He was found guilty. Then he lied to the judge about what would be in his system during a d**g test and his sentence was doubled.
Kare Deter 1 year ago
"Forced by police to give a urine sample on the side of a very busy interstate highway" - I don't actually believe that.
Upstaged75 1 year ago
Yeah me neither. They don't keep that kind of equipment with them. They have breathalyzers and a way to test for narcotics, but no cop is asking someone to pee right there when they're being arrested. If they need a blood test they have to take the suspect to the hospital.
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#46
I am a lawyer. I was cross examining a slip and fall plaintiff on the stand in trial after like two years of litigation. We were going over some pictures he took when he let slip that the “picture of the two signs” was missing. I grilled him on what he meant until the judge chastised me for trying to conduct discovery during trial, which is supposedly not allowed (he had clearly concealed evidence though). We took a break for the day, and the next day he came back with the photo in question, which showed that he had walked squarely between two wet floor signs to go down the Kroger aisle that he immediately slipped and fell in. He did not recover any money in that one, despite the horrific defense venue. The judge who jumped all over me for exploring obvious evidence tampering was later appointed to the federal bench here in Atlanta. .
Marie BellaDonna 1 year ago
Shoulda slipped on peepee at the Costco. You can get a good settlement for that, if you're Lucky.
#47
NAL but used to investigate RTAs and similar claims. The amount of "passengers" who couldn't provide the most basic details of the RTAs they were supposedly involved in was a phenomenal thing to behold. I recall one incident where (ostensibly) there were four people in the car (brothers, sister and mother). The brothers (driver and front seat passenger) were able to "recall" the key details. But the mother and sister couldn't offer any compelling evidence that they were in the car. They "'couldn't remember" where they were sat, what time of day it was, what the weather was, where they were coming from or going to, where the impact came from, what the other vehicle looked like (colour / type / manufacturer...) what happened afterwards, whether the emergency services attended... We always tried to be sympathetic to the fallibility of memory. But there is a limit. Unrelated advice; if you are ever planning to fake a claim, maybe have a sit down with all participants and agree the key details in advance. Just the basics, at least.
justanotherweirdo 1 year ago
lol, my first thought was Really Tragic Accident
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B Jones 1 year ago
Reminds me of that anecdote along the lines of .... Two students called their professor saying they couldn't make the math exam because they got a flat tire on the way to class....so the professor let them take the exam the next day...the front page was standard math questions, the back of the page was one question...which tire was flat?
#48
I’m not a lawyer but the local news ran a clip over and over from a murder trial where the defendant took the stand against their lawyers advice, the defense was claiming self defense. As the prosecution read transcripts from damning jail phone calls the guy on trial (not his lawyer) called for an objection. It through everyone for a loop, the judge asked him why he called for an objection dude was honest and said I didn’t know they’d actually listen to my calls. A recess was granted and dude took a plea deal when court resumed .
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
If you are in jail then anything you say or do WILL be used against you in a court of law. That includes telephone conversations. That's why that cellphone earlier in this list cost $600. In jail everything you say and do is recorded.
Ace 1 year ago
Depends where you are and what sort of jail/prison it is. Different countries have different rules - in some places now prisoners are actually allowed to have their mobile phones in with them.
Load More Replies... #49
Am criminal defense lawyer. Client arrested on DUI. Client lived in small town. He and his wife would drive to the one bar in town, drink, then walk to their houseboat after a night at the bar (1/4 mile away). He and wife know everyone in the bar, another patron they know gets blasted, bar owner says she can’t stay, client and wife walk her to his car to stay there until ride comes. Client gets her in backseat of the suv. Client is drunk, drops keys on the way to front seat, opens now unlocked front door, turns on car lights to see (he walked around the front from rear passenger), cops are waiting to see if people leave bar drunk, sees lights, says he saw driving, immediately rolled up arrests client. Client has prior dui from 12ish years before. Judge agreed that it wouldn’t come in, jury wouldn’t hear it unless he “opened the door.” Can’t win the case unless dude testifies. I prep him, continue to prep him, keep prepping him, but tell him under NO CIRCUMSTANCES can he say he would never drive drunk, never do anything like that. Basically anything about the past = no. Direct is going well, gave him a beautiful, easy, last question where he could explain the night, explain why he was upset he got arrested (because he wasn’t driving and was doing everything right). “I would never do something like that.” Door open, judge lets da in rebuttal bring in old dui. Jury took about 25 minutes to convict. And that’s about one of a hundred stories. Life is never dull in the criminal defense world.
René Sauer 1 year ago
So, according to this story you are not even allowed to touch a car if you are drunk? At least in the eyes of some cops?
Dragon mama 1 year ago
Yup. Can't be sleeping with the keys in the ignition to run the a/c. Can't have keys in the ignition for any reason.
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Chihuahua Mama 1 year ago
I know someone who got a DUI for sleeping in his car instead of driving home. Apparently he was still operating a vehicle because he had the car on for the heater. He said to the police "so had I actually driven home, I probably wouldn't have gotten caught" and the police said something along the lines of "pretty much"
Fellfromthemoon 1 year ago
One time 12 years ago... since that time literally every atom of his body was exchanged.
#50
Company wanted to save money on a federal patent infringement case and hired a family lawyer from the yellow pages. Lawyer was sanctioned by the court after missing multiple deadlines, screwing up discovery, basically failing. why? because he didn't know how to take a such a case. client lost the case.
#51
Not my client, but defendant posted a Facebook status along the lines of that he had "taken care of business and the world is a better place because of it". He was charged with battery after putting someone in the hospital that had attacked his 14 year old daughter. The person didn't have a clear memory of the incident and other testimony later revealed the person beat up had an alibi for the attack in question. Most likely the girl had made up the story to avoid trouble from being out drinking underage, though we never got the full story. Anyways the dad was sentenced to 4 years in federal prison.
#52
“Is my client a perfect man? No.” -“I mean, I killed him, yeah”.
The Other Guest 1 year ago
Guess Lion_bug presumes no one else watches Game Changer: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/i1n3S1ZyUkE
#53
My father is a patent attorney, and when I was around 14 he told me about a guy who wanted to patent the IPhone 3 because "aliens" had given him the design for it. My father told him that if the aliens originally designed then they were the ones that had to patent it, not him.
Bob Brooce 1 year ago
Your father really missed the boat when he failed to realize that the guy meant that the aliens had given him power of attorney to register the patent and an exclusive license to the patent.
#54
I’m not a trial lawyer but a real estate one: I had clients spend $15k on new lounge furniture and 4 TVs WITH THEIR CLOSING MONEY 48 hours before I was due to close for them.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
Reminds me of that woman a few months back who thought the rapture was happening so she dropped $1000 in tips the week before and then when she wasn't raptured, she demanded her money back.
Ace 1 year ago
I don't get this one. Were the clients buying then spent the money so they could not proceed with the purchase, or what?
Donkey boi 1 year ago
I think they're saying that the people selling the house bought furniture with the money that they *would* make from the sale of the property. But the sale was not finalised yet, making it a very unwise thing to do. In other words, spending money they don't have yet.
Load More Replies... Seadog 1 year ago
Kind of the reverse for me. Did a refi on my home back when rates were reasonable. Bank assigned me a loan officer they knew was retiring in 30 days. In the end, it took 3 months to do a simple refi of a loan they already possessed, 4 different people had their hands in it and all the money I paid on the loan from instigation to completion disappeared. (about 5K) Yes, I did take it up the chain but of course as with anything in banking, one person just covers for another. I've worked for banks, the only way anything ever happens in favor of the customer is when the feds get involved and that doesn't happen until the fraud is in the millions
#55
Not a lawyer but I was in a jury and on the first day of trial after jury selection, during a lunch break, a random friend of the defendant came up to us saying all sorts of nonsense about how defendant was framed and to look up specific statutes citing the law. This was for a serious d**g trafficking and violence case. We all reported what happened to the bailiff so we could be properly thrown off the jury. He said just sit tight, it probably won't matter... The case was settled by the time we came back to court and the judge threw out the settlement offer, saying he (the judge) didn't appreciate the defendant wasting everyone's time. Wild stuff. Horrible friends, horrible lawyers on the defense, and I assume the defendant was also equally horrible for simply associating with these people, and also for the crime he admitted to and is still serving time for...
#56
Briefly: he had to testify that doing X thing would not cost him a lot of money The judge asked him how much money would it cost for him and he said an amount which was not too much for him (because he was rich) but it was a lot compared to what everybody in the courtroom was making! Other case: The day before the court I tell him exactly what he is going to answer to certain questions. I specifically tell him to answer X when asked. Time comes, judge asks, he completely loses it, he gets a panic attack...he can't even speak a single word! He just looks at the judge with the 1000 yard stare. Disaster.
arthbach 1 year ago
Did this lawyer just admit to 'coaching the witness'? Did they just say 'I tell him exactly what he is going to answer to certain questions'?!
Kare Deter 1 year ago
Teaching someone how to answer a question is perfectly fine. Telling them to lie or mislead is illegal. You really want them to answer as briefly and concisely as possible.
Load More Replies... Kristy Nelson 1 year ago
Being in court is stressful, even if you're not the one on the stand.
What do you think ?
S. E. in Indiana 1 year ago
BP seriously? You are censoring the word: d r u g s? What is up with this?
John L 1 year ago
Reminds me of the funniest (and shortest) Judge Judy cases I watched. Woman accuses a man of stealing her purse. He denies it. Judge has her list off what was in the purse. She starts off with air pods, defendant interrupts and says there were no air pods. The entire court laughs and she immediately finds for the plaintiff. I wonder if he ever figured out what was so funny?
Scott Dankel 1 year ago
Seriously? "45 Times Lawyers Lost A Case Because Of Their Clients Saying Or Doing The Dumbest Things" After the 2nd "I'm not a lawyer" I was out.
ElfVibratorGlitter 1 year ago
What I took away from this was most of these posts were well written and understandable.
Rocket Surgeon 1 year ago
Double Jeopardy! You can't try a husband and wife for the same crime! --Arrested Development
David Paterson 1 year ago
It is not in the interests of justice for crooks to be smart. Of for there to be honour among thieves.
S. E. in Indiana 1 year ago
BP seriously? You are censoring the word: d r u g s? What is up with this?
John L 1 year ago
Reminds me of the funniest (and shortest) Judge Judy cases I watched. Woman accuses a man of stealing her purse. He denies it. Judge has her list off what was in the purse. She starts off with air pods, defendant interrupts and says there were no air pods. The entire court laughs and she immediately finds for the plaintiff. I wonder if he ever figured out what was so funny?
Scott Dankel 1 year ago
Seriously? "45 Times Lawyers Lost A Case Because Of Their Clients Saying Or Doing The Dumbest Things" After the 2nd "I'm not a lawyer" I was out.
ElfVibratorGlitter 1 year ago
What I took away from this was most of these posts were well written and understandable.
Rocket Surgeon 1 year ago
Double Jeopardy! You can't try a husband and wife for the same crime! --Arrested Development
David Paterson 1 year ago
It is not in the interests of justice for crooks to be smart. Of for there to be honour among thieves.
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