Compelling a defamation lawsuit, intentionally

[quincy]

Please do NOT name names here. That would be a bad idea. ...

Agreed. It is not only not smart to publish names here, it is not smart to name names anywhere in connection with crimes, without good proof of the truth of what is said or written.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

I'm a bit familiar with this principle

And it shows. Very good response.

 

[quincy]

... I read your post, a Confucius quote kept replaying in my mind; that is, “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, first dig two graves.” ...

My favorite Chinese proverb is: “Man sitting with mouth open waits long time for roast duck to fly in.”

Your quote, of course, is more appropriate for this thread.

 

[Sunny_Day]

Hopefully this delayed response notifies everyone who responded. I thought I’d get an email notification letting me know someone replied, but didn't, so sorry for being late with the thanks. It is appreciated.

I haven't read everything with a fine tooth comb yet, but the part about pleading the 5th in a civil matter, as well as the technical details surrounding the burden on the plaintiff's part is definitely not something I'd thought about.

Regarding what happened; man, that's another theoretical rabbit hole I wish like hell I never had to consider. I'm male, the crime is of a sexual nature, and depending on how the statute is interpreted, it could range from disorderly conduct, or maybe voyeurism, to rape. I stole Aristotle's style in The Republic of using the entire first chapter to define one word. Instead of trying to define justice, I make some arguments about what should define rape.

I lived with a girl in 2006 who helped friends of hers sneak into our home in the middle of the night while we had sex. They hid in the hall and watched. I did not know it was going on. In fact, I thought I was in a monogamous relationship. Sometimes I'm slow on the uptick, I guess. I was 40 and she was 27. This happened at least once a month for 11 or 12 months. There was also a camcorder involved. I wasn't supposed to have the tapes. That's another ordeal. However, I did walk away with them. Obviously her friends didn't want to get caught, so they aren't doing selfies in front of the camera, but they did make enough mistakes that it's obvious. That, and there are visual cues, like hand gestures by the girl I lived with, that leaves little to the imagination.

So, regarding evidence of what I'm going to tell about, there's video of it. There's more to the story, like me flipping the F out when I discovered what happened. I'm past all that now. It has been 15 years. But some other incidental things happened as a result that convinced me I should tell this story. Hence, a book. But yes, I absolutely want exactly what Aristotle reported Socrates was arguing about circa 500 B.C., whatever it is. Revenge? Retaliation? Justice is fine. It's all synonymous if you're on the legal side of the debate.

I haven't decided if I'm going to self-publish, or pitch it to a bunch of literary agents and hope to get someone else's skin in the game. If I go that route, I know there will be legal counsel along the way. Someone above had probably the best reply (with respect...); if I self-publish, nobody will read it anyway, so no need to worry! Very true. The likelihood of anyone reading this Pulitzer worthy memoir are none to very none.

Thanks so much for all the replies!

Edit: I just realized my email notifications are going to my spam folder. Blasphemy. Corrected.

 

[quincy]

Hopefully this delayed response notifies everyone who responded. I thought I’d get an email notification letting me know someone replied, but didn't, so sorry for being late with the thanks. It is appreciated.

I haven't read everything with a fine tooth comb yet, but the part about pleading the 5th in a civil matter, as well as the technical details surrounding the burden on the plaintiff's part is definitely not something I'd thought about.

Regarding what happened; man, that's another theoretical rabbit hole I wish like hell I never had to consider. I'm male, the crime is of a sexual nature, and depending on how the statute is interpreted, it could range from disorderly conduct, or maybe voyeurism, to rape. I stole Aristotle's style in The Republic of using the entire first chapter to define one word. Instead of trying to define justice, I make some arguments about what should define rape.

I lived with a girl in 2006 who helped friends of hers sneak into our home in the middle of the night while we had sex. They hid in the hall and watched. I did not know it was going on. In fact, I thought I was in a monogamous relationship. Sometimes I'm slow on the uptick, I guess. I was 40 and she was 27. This happened at least once a month for 11 or 12 months. There was also a camcorder involved. I wasn't supposed to have the tapes. That's another ordeal. However, I did walk away with them. Obviously her friends didn't want to get caught, so they aren't doing selfies in front of the camera, but they did make enough mistakes that it's obvious. That, and there are visual cues, like hand gestures by the girl I lived with, that leaves little to the imagination.

So, regarding evidence of what I'm going to tell about, there's video of it. There's more to the story, like me flipping the F out when I discovered what happened. I'm past all that now. It has been 15 years. But some other incidental things happened as a result that convinced me I should tell this story. Hence, a book. But yes, I absolutely want exactly what Aristotle reported Socrates was arguing about circa 500 B.C., whatever it is. Revenge? Retaliation? Justice is fine. It's all synonymous if you're on the legal side of the debate.

I haven't decided if I'm going to self-publish, or pitch it to a bunch of literary agents and hope to get someone else's skin in the game. If I go that route, I know there will be legal counsel along the way. Someone above had probably the best reply (with respect...); if I self-publish, nobody will read it anyway, so no need to worry! Very true. The likelihood of anyone reading this Pulitzer worthy memoir are none to very none.

Thanks so much for all the replies!

Edit: I just realized my email notifications are going to my spam folder. Blasphemy. Corrected.

First, we all appreciate the thanks, Sunny_Day, so thank you.

Thank you, too, for checking back in and providing us with a few additional details. It helps us understand you better.

If you decide to write about your experience, I strongly recommend you have a publishing law professional personally review your manuscript prior to thoughts of publication. This review can point out to you the areas of greatest legal concern and the editing that is necessary to best help you avoid a lawsuit. You should also look into getting additional insurance.

Good luck.