So, I was assaulted on Sunday...

[Ree]

Which court date is this?

In one of your earlier posts, you said the trial was scheduled to start on Dec 19.

I must admit, due to the length of the thread and the many updates, I may have missed something.

That's a pretty decent lawyer to give free legal advice all for the cost of a meal. Wish there were more of those types around. Isn't there any way you could get some type of pro bono lawyer to actually represent you in court, rather than do it yourself?
Lawyers say that a man who represents himself has a fool for a client and a fool for a lawyer.

I suppose, since the trial is still considered ongoing, the idea of you posting pics of the nasty scar would cause some legal issues? I'm probably not the only one curious as to how much damage this asshole inflicted on you, and pending the outcome of the legal battle, it would help us gauge whether his punishment has accurately fit the crime.

I wish you luck.

[gijoecam]

It's for a pretrial hearing on a lawsuit this arsshat filed against Kusinagi... Post #158 in this thread, page 16 IIRC. He's looking for $70,000 in medical bills and dental work IIRC.

-Joe

[Ree]

Thanks. I missed that.

[Spiffy McMoron]

I suppose, since the trial is still considered ongoing, the idea of you posting pics of the nasty scar would cause some legal issues? I'm probably not the only one curious as to how much damage this asshole inflicted on you, and pending the outcome of the legal battle, it would help us gauge whether his punishment has accurately fit the crime.

Good luck, Kus!

It's nice to know that I'm not the only one curious about the size and severity of you scar. I'll bet that it looks pretty mean-I wouldn't mind seeing it for myself, though.

[ArenaBoy]

Good luck Kus, here's to you.

[Kusanagi]

Wow, post 200 in this thread!

Just got back from the courthouse.

I'm not supposed to talk too much about this as far as it relates to the state trial, but I can say what happened with this little skirmish this morning.

I get to the courthouse and I see ghetto superstar there while waiting after I check in. He's there with his attourney. Remember how I said I was going to see if I could get my scar "accentuated?" He went to the extreme on his. He showed up in a brace clear from the hip down to the ankle (the type you wear when you break a femur and they need your ENTIRE leg and hip immobile, I believe), wearing a neckbrace, and his head was buzzed so you could see the scar where they put his head back together. Apparently, the split started at the hairline and went back about two inches. In short, playing the pity card, so I didn't feel nearly as bad as I would have about the scar and the tan.

The scar itself has healed VERY nicely over the last two months but is still noticable. I guess I have the fact that it's a knife wound to thank for that. Incisions tend to heal faster, I guess.

The lawyer didn't look too professional, he didn't show up in a suit, and I did. As we're outside waiting to go in, I've got my briefcase filled with folders and documentation about everything that happened: Copies of the original reports, witness statements (gathered from the couple who was at the showroom when the first incident occured), restraining order, photos, statements from the police, etc. Ghetto superstar looks at me from across the bench in the waiting room and just snarls a threat, or something to that extent. His lawyer instantly jabs him with his elbow and tells him to shut up.

They call us in and it's just one judge there, no jury or nothing. Ghetto Superstar's lawyer goes first and describes how if I had truly been acting in self defense, I wouldn't have nearly done what I had did, that I was a horrible person, that I was out to kill him. "Excessive, brutal, and completely unnecessary force used against my client," was my favorite part of his whole statement. Ghetto just sat there, looking absolutely pathetic.

So then it's my turn to go. I state that I was assaulted not once, but twice, by this individual, and that I felt the suit was vindictive. I stated that I truly had feared for my life and if I had not acted in the way I did during the first incident, I could have been seriously injured (also pointing out there was a five year old in the showroom when it happened) along with the other patrons in the showroom, and the second time, that I felt my life was severely threatened.

Ghetto superstar then gets the chance to present his evidence, consisting mostly of medical bills and my own testimony where I admitted that yes, I had struck him, and yes, I had split open his scalp and broke his leg.

This next part is a bit of a blur. The back and forth between the lawyer and myself went on for a few rounds. He tried to claim that I continued to beat on him the first time and doing what I did was unneccessary. I showed the judge the statement from the witnesses along with the original police report stating that I had indeed only struck him one time before he left. On the second incident I told the judge everything that had happened, and the lawyer got to tell his side too, and even tried to claim that Ghetto had come back that second night just to talk with me! At this point I really had to stop myself from just going "what the "

So I present my side with pictures, the scar, and the actual documentation of the bloodwork of me going down to the station and the examiner finding my blood and his fingerprints on the knife.

The lawyer is pissed at this point because he KNOWS the kid lied to him about the facts of that night. I can see it in his eyes. If I had to guess, the lawyer did not know about the knife. He did not know about the bloodwork fingerprints. He never made a motion to file Discovery (this basically means you can file a court motion to be able to get all the info and documents that the other party are using to prepare their case). The only reason for this was because I know GS was going to try to rush this in before his state trial which starts on the 19th.

The judge says he can't consider that into evidence because it's part of another case that has not been started or resolved (the state trial coming up) and I'm thinking "shitshitshitshitshit... "

Then I suddenly realize something that just might do it for me and my heart is racing. I pointed out that I believed that he was making his appearance worse to garner sympathy from the court. The judge asked me why, and I pointed out that any time someone is released from a hospital, there has to be a long statement from the doctors stating the summation of the visit, injuries, and what's better, outpatient care. I broke my neck back in 1999 and the list they gave me strictly for the occupational therapy and outpatient therapy was extensive. The judge had all of our paperwork, and he dug through it until he found it. I asked him if there was any mention of a neckbrace or leg brace, or if any was released to him from the hospital to be used as part of his outpatient therapy. (When I broke my neck, I recieved alot of things from the hospital to help with my therapy. And there was a list of all of them.)

THERE WASN'T! They had released him with a knee brace, but not an entire immobilization setup like he had, and there was no neckbrace!

The lawyer still gives his closing statement after we present everything. Goes on for five minutes about how violent I am, what a horrible thing I did and how his client is never going to walk again, and even had the balls to say that because he had a knife and I was still able to do that type of damage to him with my bare hands, that I should be considered dangerous!
The judge asks me if I want to make a closing statement and I can almost remember it verbatim because my heart was beating hard enough to blur my vision with each beat.

I basically summed it up like this: I believe this suit is completely vindictive, and these are the reasons. The motion also includes dental work along with the injuries to his head and leg. As the initial statements by myself, the plaintiff, and the witnesses show, and according to the police report, the injuries to his mouth happened during the first incident. No motion was made in the two months between the two dates in question for medical damages. I also had a restraining order filed after the first incident and regardless of wether he came to talk to me that night or not, he still broke his restraining order while he has a state trial pending. I was injured and acted as quickly as I could to end the threat to myself. I also point out that he had been released with none of the medical apparatus that he was now wearing, and he was doing it to get sympathy from the court. I also refuted the statement that I was a violent person by stating to the judge that my criminal record is clean. I had never been in trouble with the law, and the only black spot on my records is a single vehicle accident on my driving record from over two and a half years ago.

The judge then calls for a recess to deliberate for ten minutes taking all our paperwork with him. I go to the bathroom, almost throw up because I'm so nervous. Get back, judge comes back in and basically says that after reviewing the evidence that the case is being dismissed as vindictive! He bangs his gavel and it takes every bit of willpower to not fall over backwards into the chair with huge sigh of relief. The baliff returns all my paperwork to me after the judge leaves and as I put it back in the briefcase, the lawyer approaches me and tells me that I should be prepared for them to file an appeal. (Why, so you can get your money, asshole?)

As I turn around to walk out, I lean over next to Ghetto, and cracking the biggest smile I can, say "That makes me 3 and 0. See you in a few weeks."

Total time in court: Around 30 minutes if that. It seemed so much longer.

Driving home, I just had to pull over and laughed for about half an hour. I can relate EXACTLY to Aaron in that moment. His ordeal started with a bottle of vinegar - mine started with someone wanting a deal on a torn sofa.

Already talked with the lawyer I did originally (he's a friend of the family so I can seek legal cousel from him) and he thinks that Ghetto's lawyer is bluffing. If he isn't, theres going to be no way he can get in an appeal before the criminal trial starts in two weeks, or if he does, all I have to do is ask for a continuance until the conclusion of the state trial because :gasp: I'm testifying and need to prepare my testimony. If he does appeal, yeah, having a guilty verdict slapped on him for everything else will get him slapped down alot harder than he did today, because then the judges CAN take that into account.

Thanks for the help everyone, and to those that PMed me with court information, I found it invalubale in preparing my defense today. I owe alot of this to all you guys.

State trial soon, so we'll see what becomes of it.

:salutes to you all: I love you guys.

[wagegoth]

WOO HOO!!! Go, Kusanagi, go!

Nothing like the adrenalin rush from winning in court.

Awesome how you came up with the medical information.



Congratulations on keeping your head. That's the most important thing in court.

[Banrion]

WOOT WOOT! Way to go KUS!!!

[ArenaBoy]

Kus, congradulations. You proved GS wrong not once, not twice, but THREE times. You did quite well in the court and I liked your statement you made to him as you left, oh he must be fuming now.

[XCashier]

As I turn around to walk out, I lean over next to Ghetto, and cracking the biggest smile I can, say "That makes me 3 and 0. See you in a few weeks."

Ghetto Stupidstar had better quit while he's behind, and not make things worse for himself. He won't, of course, he's too concrete-skulled to know when he's beaten. I hope they lock him up for a very long time...and I certainly hope he hasn't reproduced!

[Gurndigarn]

Congratulatitons! And, on behalf of the sane part of the world, best of luck helping the prosecution nail this guy's ass to a bunk for the next twenty years.

[chainedbarista]

hooray for you and hooray for that smart judge; i hate it when people try to blind with bs. it surprises me that the lawyer for gs didn't drop his 'client' with a quickness, since there's no money to be had from a bogus claim.

here's to making it 4 to 0!

[hecubus]

Congrats Kusanagi!!

[rvdammit]

TEH WINNAH

[Jester]

it surprises me that the lawyer for gs didn't drop his 'client' with a quickness, since there's no money to be had from a bogus claim.

Chances are the lawyer DID drop Ghetto Superstar after the hearing, but it would be unprofessional to do so DURING the hearing, even if he had wanted to. And from what Kus said, he probably wanted to. Especially if Superstar had not given him all the information.


Kus, I almost hope they appeal this, so you can get the quinfecta on this idiot. I look forward to 5 and 0, or at the very least 4 and 0.

To you, Kusanagi:

To Ghetto Superstar: See ya...wouldn't want to be ya!


Finally, to SC's everywhere: Remember, this all started as someone wanting a discount they were not entitled to. I would say "Think about it" but sadly, most SC's do not have that capacity.