Have you been to court before?

I voted traffic court (2 tickets in one week as a teen) and civil court (lawsuit against the apartment owners my sister died in)

 

I voted criminal court and civil court, neither of which were for me, but for my son, so I also voted not for my case but someone elses.

 

Years ago I taught a class in HS Civics. We were given permission to observe a jury trial in progress. We weren't being nosy, but I do think that the students learned something about our judicial system.

 

Civil court twice as a juror
Federal court twice as a juror

In court,
Once as a witness (murder).
Once as a defendant (malpractice).
Deposed multiple times as a witness re: hospital stuff.

Local traffic court (charges dropped) :thumbs:

Rob

 

i was a translator in an international domestic kidnapping case and had to testify. Never want to do that again.

(lol, that looks like an oxymoron - international domestic ...justmeant a mama took the kids and skipped the country, raised them for 7 years there and when Dad finally found them and got to them, they couldnt communicate.)

 

wow, interesting stories I am sure. How did the 1st two turn out?


Oh, and can ya post on my traffic court thread and tell me how ya got that one dropped? lol Thanks :flower:

 

Traffic court as the guilty party.
Criminal court as a witness for the defence.
Civil court as juror.

 

Three times-
Once was divorce court and twice as a juror.

 

Traffic court twice...once for an accident i was faulted in, the other time because i got a bogus summons for lack of insurance (which i did have).
Went to family court a couple of different times with church members to support them.

 

I've been to traffic court once.

I've been subpoened to testify in a custody hearing.

I've gone to municipal and criminal court to offer moral support for a defendent.

I've been to Kazakhstan civil court to complete the adoption of my son. That was the most interesting. Unlike, our system, theirs has a prosecutor in civil cases. Also, there was no oath, but instead, a reading of rights. It was confusing because we had to keep waiting on our translator to tell us what was being said, and things were moving fast. If you have ever heard a room full of people speaking Russian, then you know that its not a language that ever sounds very happy. But in the end, the judge smiled and said Congratulations or as best he could, and our translator said we were parents.

 

I've been to traffic court once, I was not guilty (ruled accordingly)
I've been to criminal court once, I was guilty yet got out of it due to my job

 

TaterTot: Wow, interesting stories I am sure. How did the 1st two turn out?

Not much to say:

Once as a witness (murder).
I didn't stay around for the verdict.
The trial was years later, I was given very little notice by the prosecuting attorney.
I had written out an account of the episode shortly after it happened and merely had to say that was my story.
Just like in the movies, they asked, "Can you point him out?"
After all those years I still could recognise the guy.
I presume he was convicted, sentenced to a few years and probably served far fewer... the low life.

Once as a defendant (malpractice).
Ugggh, it took years off my life.
Again the trial was years after the event.
When somebody sues for malpractice they name everybody and anybody.
The physician finally settled and a payment was made.
Very few physicians win malpractice suits in Philadelphia.
[For example, did you hear the one about the woman who sued for loss of her psychic powers after surgery and won? That was in Philadelphia too! It took years to correct that one. :BangHead:

Deposed multiple times as a witness re: hospital stuff.
Although I call myself a "nurse", I've been away from the classical role for long time.
I performed alongside the cardiac fellows, doing the stuff they didn't want or didn't have time to do.
In the old days part of that usually involved manually removing cardiac catheters of various types and sizes at the patient's bedside in a specialty unit.
Complications were not uncommon but were managable.
When they happened, the staff followed my instructions to minimize the episode, giving emergency drugs and fluids as needed.
After an episode, I'd write a detailed "physicians note" and notify the caridiac fellow and the attending physician, who would follow up and countersign my orders.
Inevitably with some patients, further problems ensuded.
Those detailed notes were enough to protect me from liablility in the three (or so) cases where I was called to testify.

Rob