Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Ever taken someone to court? Ever been sued?

I'll start, only time I've had to go to court was for my divorce about 15 years ago and back two years ago for custody when a job opportunity 3 hours away required a move.
Long story short my son lives with us but has to go see her over the summer. He hates it, but only a few more years to go.

Recently had a deal go south and it's well documented. I'll update later on how it goes, anyone got any advice if you have to take someone to small claims?

Counter sued for a million dollars.

I about lived in court for most of 18 years going through custody hell with my ex. I had full custody from the time that he was five but went through hell getting it and keeping it.

By the time that it was all done I spent 35k plus in lawyers on a shoe string budget. My lawyer estimated her parents spent over double that. My sons mother and her parents were unable to legally see or communicate with my son. Something almost unheard of but speaks volumes to their level of crazy and court orders on top of court orders that they violated.

She’d call my employers and tell them that I was child a abuser, call my wife’s work and tell them that as an RN she was a state mandated reporter but was covering up child abuse, told my son that he had multiple broken bones as a baby that I caused but they couldn’t prove so it was alright for him to tell white lies about me (Dr. reports proved that he never had a broken bone ever) and my son’s testimony that they told him to lie.

Allegations of raping his mother at a visitation exchange to the point that both side video recorded exchanges.

Going to our neighbors door’s asking if they saw signs of abuse as way to embarrass us, calls to the schools asking for welfare checks or if he had been to school that day and going as far as to tell the school that they feared that I had killed him if he didn’t talk to his mother for a few days. All of it on record and completely unfounded.

Absolute hell.

Taken 1/2 dozen to court and got judgements.

Mama and the judge used to trade Tennessee Walking Horses, I had no problems being the mean landlord.

Cases were read and gaveled in my favor in under 3 minutes most times. 🤣

Small Claims court.

Check to see if your Dollar amount is in the states guide.

Have all your documentation in order.

Have your claim itemized. So if a part is dismissed the judge will be able to identify that part.

Have your witnesses available and make sure what they will testify. You do not want any surprises.

Look your part and have your bases covered.

If you win, you may not get paid. So you wil need to plan your next step.

Involved now.
I was given some substantial property thru a trust/will. The executor decided he wanted it and signed it all over to himself contrary to the legal wishes of the deceased. Totally illegal in this state.
Substantial legal money being spent.


Osky

This doesn't have anything to do with a 1990 Crestliner does it?

Try to be first in line. We had a situation where we filed for a guy's Permanent Fund Dividend for property damages, theft (unprovable, but he did) non-payment of rent, etc. 20 or so years ago, and he has since moved out of state- no PFD. No payments of any sort. He's disappeared well enough that it just isn't worth it anymore. Probably rightly fearing a .22 behind the ear from someone, who yet cares. There's bound to still be at least one.....


We were 15th or 16th to file. Maybe the first couple got successive PFD garnishments.

Yes and yes.
No one really wins in court but the lawyers.
Divorce court. Everyone lost.
Local civil court. I rear ended a guy. This one was 32 years ago. I won.
And federal civil court. I lost.

well I do have three ex wives.............

Small Claims court, I took my brothers pristine Nissan to a dealer for an oil change. The mechanic took it for a joy ride and side swiped the passenger side and then they parked it next to the building so I would not see it. When I got home and walked around the car I immediately called the dealer who said he had nothing to do with it.

I filed a small courts claim and went by myself. Their dealer had the mechanic, service manager and the get ready guy all testifying. The get ready guy messed up his testimony.

Nope it sure doesn't, that's still parked safely next to my garage. Haven't touched it in a year. 🙁

Whoever has the most/best documentation wins.

Thanks, already good on all those points. They've already stolen from me so I don't expect to get paid, but you never know. The stolen property irritates me. Can't stand a thief or a liar and they are both. Pay for education one way or another

Damn, and I thought my custody stuff was nasty.
First visit after she lost she forced my son to write a letter to the judge accusing of stuff, saying he's changed his mind and is better with her etc. It was in perfect English, no grammatical mistakes and multiple big words that are way above a 12 year old, and he's a straight A student. Very obviously coached. Judge said well let's talk to him and get the truth. Here lawyer piped up saying he was in town and could be here in 15 minutes. I about burst out laughing. He walked in and flashed me a smile then went and talked to the judge. Judge came out pissed, yanked almost all her visitation but summer. I thought she got off easy. But yeah I could have bought a pickup with what it cost me in legal fees. Worth every cent though and don't give it a second thought.

I’ve been there and done all of that.

I wouldn’t change any of it. My six year old has a great drama free life with her mother and I. I regret that my son didn’t have the same two parents happy and sane home life. He’s a great rock solid conservative kid but he dealt with a lot, feeling conflicted and torn two ways. It never should have happened.

I have been on both sides. None of it is fun

100% agree, same with us. My son is the same. Straight A student, big into sports and has a big heart. Sucks when you can't protect him, he's at least old enough now to deal with it, just wish he didn't have to.

Only people who win are the attorneys and experts. Right or wrong seldom comes into play in civil court, it's about $$$, and minimizing the cost. Insurance companies are often to blame for not standing up for right vs. wrong. All they care about is how fast they can settle and for how little they can settle for. Most often, ye who does the suing wins, and if you have deep pockets as the plaintiff, you almost always win as you can outspend the defendant in legal fees.

small claims:

file quickly. for unpaid rent and lease breakup: we won judgement, and miracle: grabbed 1200 dollars from the guys checking account day after he got paid... Would pay a benjamin to have a look on his face when his "untouchable" assets went my way... legal bills:less than 500. judgement: priceless.

anothe time a minnesota hillbilly backed into my wife's brand new Ford... caved in door panel..

350 back then for a replacement door, 75-150 for a bondo job and repaint. car less than a year old.

we did a replacement door, and guys wages were garnished by sherifff....once for 50 dollars: sheriff got almost half as fee for collections... we simply gave up on it.

a business deal once: we recruited an engineer, and three of his buddies came within a couple weeks. got sued by their old company for predatory business practices and some non-compete issues... we also got the workload and clients from their prior company... legal bills: 75,000 we paid. settlement: we paid 75,000 more, over a three year time period, this evaded the trial costs and our losses would be two ro three times that just in lost work revenues for a month...