Lawyers' Best Gotcha Moments

Saturday, April 4, 2020

Lawyers' Best Gotcha Moments

Sometimes criminals are criminally dumb. Sometimes, it's as if lawyers experience the wonderful sensation of euphoria that comes from having someone else do their job for them. And usually that process is carried out by those individuals in mindless fashion.

1.

Text - lawgirl3278 • 237d Lady got into a minor fender bender with a truck in a casino parking lot (she backed out of a spot into him). My guy said she parked and went inside the casino for a few hours. At her deposition, she testified that she was so hurt she went right home and to a hospital. I asked if she was a frequent visitor of casino, and if she had a rewards card. She was happy to tell me she did and she had gold status, and showed me the card. I subpoenaed her rewards cards records, an

2.

Text - My client's house burned down from an explosion in the fuel oil tank used to heat the house. It was clearly the oil maintenance company's fault, but his homeowners insurance (from a very reputable company) still refused to pay out, citing a ridiculous technicality in his policy. Essentially, the policy covered damage caused by the oil heater but they claimed that it was the storage tank that exploded and wasn't part of what was covered. So they deny his claim, which was about 1.2 million,

3.

Text - [deleted] • 237d Plaintiff had an x-ray of an allegedly broken arm. It seemed off to me and the dates didn't make sense (I was in-house at an academic medical center). I looked at the case more closely and discovered the Plaintiff was a x-ray tech at another hospital. After that, it was all over.

4.

Text - npESQ • 237d I had a former client file for bankruptcy and in connection with that case brought an action against his landlord for violating the automatic stay. In order to prove "damages" he wanted to show he paid my firm for legal fees in connection with the landlord's pursuit of rent in violation of the stay. So this former client's bankruptcy lawyer serves me a subpoena to show up at the bankruptcy hearing. He didn't ask me any questions prior but just gave me the gist of what the obj

5.

Text - The bankruptcy attorney called his client (my former client) to the stand first. He asked him questions related to his hiring my firm to do this and that as it related to his landlord. Apparently that's not enough, the bankruptcy attorney wants me to verify these facts as well. I get put on the stand and l'm asked to verify the invoice. I first object to the question as a precaution since it may be a violation of attorney- client privilege to answer the question and to cover me for any cl

6.

7.

Text - A very confused attorney slowly started to put together (after a couple more follow-up questions) that this idiot client of ours had manufactured my invoice to prove his damages. Needless to say that I could have given his new attorney the heads up, but I wasn't going to help someone who had committed perjury to the court using my name. I had represented him in a completely different matter and this guy was trying to make some extra cash through this bankruptcy hearing. Two lessons: tell

8.

Text - CastlronMooseEsq • 237d Cross examining a custom home builder who had a lump sum contract (set price as opposed to "cost plus" which means cost of the materials plus x% as builder fee) with the home owner. Claimed he put 20% more labor/materials in building the home than the contracted provided for and he was suing for these excess costs. Was asking him about an email with my client negotiating the price of the construction and he volunteers that he knew he couldnt build it for that price

9.

Text - This is textbook fraudulent inducement and he had no idea. Builder got poured out in the arbitration award and slapped builder with sizable punitive damages on top of it. Five minutes of testimony sunk his case because he volunteered information without being prompted.

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11.

Text - jessnod • 237d Not so much a gotcha as it is the defendant giving themselves up. When I worked for insurance defense I handled a fraud case where a man reported his Rolex as being stolen. He was adamant that he was at a hotel and it was stolen. He has shown no proof of being in a hotel so it's flagged. We go through the whole proces and finally reached depositions. He gets sworn in and eventually let out that he wasn't at a hotel but rather with his mistress and he had left it at her hous

12.

$Text - hitchinpost • 237d Had a client accused of leading the cops on a high speed chase. The cop on the stand estimated he was going 90 mph, but never actually clocked him. Then the cop identified where the chase started with me, and where it ended. It lasted about 2 miles. Then we went through his log of when it started and when it ended. About three and a half minutes. Once you walk through the math on that, the average speed of this chase was 35 mph. Client got acquitted really quickly after$