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Police and battery.

ThaedThaed
edited August 2007 in Everything Else
While I applaud Scott for doing what he thought was right in intervening in the argument between those women, he took a tremendous risk. Strangely enough, she could have called the police herself and had him arrested for battery. Moreover, she could have sued him civilly. Again, I don't blame Scott for doing what he did, but consider the risks.

Also, punching someone (per Rym's comment) should always be a last resort, especially among those with jobs and assets. I know a guy who's punch cost him $25,000 in a civil suit. Moreover, punching someone and then calling the police is just as likely to result in YOUR arrest as it is the person who is bothering you. Remember High School? The police often don't care who started it and you probably have a 50/50 chance of convincing them that you're telling the truth.

In this world, it's not what actually happens, it's who people believe that matters.

Comments

  • RymRym
    Based on my past encounters with law enforcement and with judges, I'm convinced that I can explain my way out of just about anything.  I also tend to have witnesses handy. ^_~
  • AprecheApreche
    Yes, I would have acted quite differently if there were not a zillion witnesses.
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    Yes, I would have acted quite differently if there were not a zillion witnesses.
    Good luck getting them to appear in court for you. Furthermore, good luck getting them to testify the way you want.
  • AprecheApreche
    Yes, I would have acted quite differently if there were not a zillion witnesses.
    Good luck getting them to appear in court for you. Furthermore, good luck getting them to testify the way you want.
    From my experience with other minor street-tussles in the city, i.e: the purse snatcher, I wasn't too worried about it. Also, notice how I left the scene immediately after the situation was defused.
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    edited August 2007
    From my experience with other minor street-tussles in the city, i.e: the purse snatcher, I wasn't too worried about it. Also, notice how I left the scene immediately after the situation was defused.
    That's cool, and it's different than relying on witnesses. Witnesses are extremely unreliable. First, it can be very hard to even find them. Second, you can never rely that they'll remember things the way you want them to remember things. Third, they hate talking to the cops, they hate being deposed even more, and they hate appearing in court most of all.
    Post edited by HungryJoe on
  • AprecheApreche

    That's cool, and it's different than relying on witnesses. Witnesses are extremely unreliable. First, it can be very hard to even find them. Second, you can never rely that they'll remember things the way you want them to remember things. Third, they hate talking to the cops, they hate being deposed even more, and they hate appearing in court most of all.
    This is all true, but all I need is for one or two people to say that this lady was crazy, was assaulting the other woman, and I broke it up.
  • JasonJason
    We had a reporter who, with 20 other people, witnessed first-hand a city official throw a punch at a resident. It cost us $30,000 to defend the defamation charges in court. Yay, justice system!
  • RymRym
    We had a reporter who, with 20 other people, witnessed first-hand a city official throw a punch at a resident. It cost us $30,000 to defend the defamation charges in court. Yay, justice system!
    Sigh...
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    edited August 2007
    We had a reporter who, with 20 other people, witnessed first-hand a city official throw a punch at a resident. It cost us $30,000 to defend the defamation charges in court. Yay, justice system!

    Sigh...

    What, do you think it supposed to be free? It's that market thing you guys like so much.
    Post edited by HungryJoe on
  • AprecheApreche

    What, do you think it supposed to be free? It's that market thing you guys like so much.
    No, we think it should be immediately thrown out because it's so obviously bullshit.
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    We had a reporter who, with 20 other people, witnessed first-hand a city official throw a punch at a resident. It cost us $30,000 to defend the defamation charges in court. Yay, justice system!
    . . . we think it should be immediately thrown out because it's so obviously bullshit.
    You don't know anything about the credibility of the "charges" from what he wrote. How can you say it's obvious?
  • JasonJason
    edited August 2007
    Ca. 21 people saw it. There was a victim with injuries. There was a police report with an extensive investigation and interview process. The official apologized to the victim before it went to court, admitting guilt.

    What the official didn't like, and the reason we ended up going through a year of depositions and other bullshit, is that people KNEW he had thrown the punch. He didn't care so much about the assault as he did about his reputation -- which he should have considered before balling his fist.

    So he decided to shoot the messenger, the eeeeeeevil newspaper that *gasp* told people what happened. HOW DARE THEY DEFAME HIM LIKE THAT?!

    This is actually quite common. I get threatened with lawsuits about every other month, though I've personally never been served with one.

    Once, I wrote a story about six years worth of complaints at a local bar that led to an investigation into hundreds of assaults and unveiled a major drug trafficking route. The state shut the place down. The owner was very upset at me, and threatened to take me to court for defamation. I told him my lawyer's name and number, and said he was welcome to go to town with it, if he could find an attorney stupid enough to take a losing case.
    Post edited by Jason on
  • ThaedThaed

    What, do you think it supposed to be free? It's that market thing you guys like so much.
    No, we think it should be immediately thrown out because it's so obviously bullshit.
    That almost never happens in our system. It's an adversarial system: you have the opportunity to prove your case and it's a long, painful process. Now, if something is frivolous, there may be sanctions, but it's rare. Often, a person with a claim you might consider frivolous wins. My favorite illustration of this is how Liberace sued a paper who said he was gay for defamation. He won.
  • JasonJason
    My problem with this is that small businesses -- and even large ones sometimes -- can be forced to close through attrition merely because there is an accusation against them.
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