Assault

[jdw3018]

Originally Posted by fullor30

You missed the point..........

No, I didn't.

The circumstances were quite different between the two incidents. That's all I was saying.

[Drizzle]

Horrible story, I hope he gets what he deserves.

Some states have special laws that increase the punishment if the assaultee is an official, not sure which jurisdictions have that kind of clause though.

[TheOracle]

Originally Posted by jdw3018

No, I didn't.

The circumstances were quite different between the two incidents. That's all I was saying.

That's all I said, too. Personally, I think it would be great if that coach lost every penny he had for being a hothead and hitting someone over words after a basketball game. Or spend some time in County jail.

Sucker punch that causes major injury without verbal provocation? Ca-ching. Not this. Don't waste your time and efforts, Chi. Let it run its course through the criminal court, try and get the coach/team/program banned or sanctioned, and move on with life.

[rainmaker]

Originally Posted by TheOracle

Sucker punch that causes major injury without verbal provocation? Ca-ching. Not this. Don't waste your time and efforts, Chi. Let it run its course through the criminal court, try and get the coach/team/program banned or sanctioned, and move on with life.

You could be right, but there's no way for you to know this for sure. Chi should at least consult a reputable attorney with experience in this kind of civil suit. It's possible he could win big time with the right attorney in the right venue. And it would be worth winning small if only as a warning to other hot-head folks who might think twice in the future before they hit a defenseless official who was only doing their job.

[Adam]

Verbal response is not the same as physical battery. Verbal response does not justify physical battery. Otherwise, Ch1town could have just punched the coach the first time he said, "F you, B$!%#"

Coach deserves jail time and civil penalties. A 7 game suspension is just stupid and gutless.

[TheOracle]

Originally Posted by rainmaker

You could be right, but there's no way for you to know this for sure. Chi should at least consult a reputable attorney with experience in this kind of civil suit. It's possible he could win big time with the right attorney in the right venue. And it would be worth winning small if only as a warning to other hot-head folks who might think twice in the future before they hit a defenseless official who was only doing their job.

You are 100% correct. There is a chance he could win a civil suit. What you are not thinking about is the set of witnesses that the coach will bring in. They will say how Chi baited the coach during the game. They will say how Chi went at the coach, dropped and F-bomb, and looked like he was about to hit him first. They'll say the coach was worried for his safety. It will all be blatant lies and huge exaggerations and the judge or jury will almost always throw it out. The flip side? In criminal court, the coach threw the punch after verbal provocation, didn't cause a major injury. Worst case? He'll plead to misdemeanor assault, get fined, and may get probation. Nothing Chi can do about that, and that's the market price in our court system today for what he described.

The coach is 100% wrong and should be punished worse than that. I agree with all of you on that point. Chances of that occurring are very slim.

BTW, I love the right attorney in the right venue idea. Right out of John Grisham!

[rainmaker]

Originally Posted by TheOracle

The coach is 100% wrong and should be punished worse than that. I agree with all of you on that point. Chances of that occurring are very slim.

BTW, I love the right attorney in the right venue idea. Right out of John Grisham!

Well, I"m not going to argue legal strategy, but my experience as a defendant as a plaintiff in court is that the right lawyer can counter that whole "poor coach" routine without any problem. I'm not saying Chi should definitely file a civil suit but he should without question make it look very serious as a possibility, by consulting a lawyer, and threatening. Don't let the coach think he's got a chance to win.

[TheOracle]

Originally Posted by rainmaker

Well, I"m not going to argue legal strategy, but my experience as a defendant as a plaintiff in court is that the right lawyer can counter that whole "poor coach" routine without any problem. I'm not saying Chi should definitely file a civil suit but he should without question make it look very serious as a possibility, by consulting a lawyer, and threatening. Don't let the coach think he's got a chance to win.

I'm sorry you have experiences in court as a plaintiff and/or defendant! I wouldn't wish that on anyone!

The coach already lost. He will almost certainly get dinged on a misdemeanor if Chi presses charges, and if he gets probation, trust me, that cannot be fun. It will be demeaning and humiliating.

[Mark Padgett]

Remind me not to send my grandkids to the same law school TheIgnoracle obviously went to. I think it was the "Bobby Fuller I Fought The Law School".

[Chess Ref]

Originally Posted by rainmaker

Well, I"m not going to argue legal strategy, but my experience as a defendant as a plaintiff in court is that the right lawyer can counter that whole "poor coach" routine without any problem. I'm not saying Chi should definitely file a civil suit but he should without question make it look very serious as a possibility, by consulting a lawyer, and threatening. Don't let the coach think he's got a chance to win.

I have a close friend who is a professional bloodsucker. So I give him this sitch and his eyes light up . He asks if it happened to someone I knew. I broke his heart and told him it happened in the midwest .

He believed it was a no brainer no lose deal. Cases like this are settled out of court all of the time. The whole deep pockets thing makes it a profitable deal.

SO hire a professional bloodsucker and go with it.

[fullor30]

[QUOTE=TheOracle]You are 100% correct. There is a chance he could win a civil suit.

Morally, it was the right thing to do to walk away. It takes a big person to do that. I only wanted to point out to the folks who want the book thrown at the coach or for Chi to bring a civil suit against the coach that none of that will be fruitful within the legal system. The coach may pay a small fine based on a misdemeanor but never go to jail, and never lose a civil case.

Geesh...........make up your mind will ya.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by fullor30

Geesh...........make up your mind will ya.

You ask too much.

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

You ask too much.

Ha!

[bgtg19]

Originally Posted by rainmaker

And it would be worth winning small if only as a warning to other hot-head folks who might think twice in the future before they hit a defenseless official who was only doing their job.

Rainmaker, you make a rational point here. However, I don't think people who punch sports officials are rational people and thus I doubt they would heed this (or any other) "warning." Sadly.

Having said that, it's at least worthy of consulting with an attorney.

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by jdw3018

No, I didn't.

The circumstances were quite different between the two incidents. That's all I was saying.

Again, a flair for the obvious.