Hi,
I live in Hawaii and I have just a few generic questions about a civil suit (defamation from facebook blog review of student housing; i'm defendant):
1) If I change my address, do I have to do anything legally official? So far, in my recent letter to their attorney, I put "note new address: xx". I don't have to file anything with the court, do I? It's already updated via USPS, drivers license, etc..
2) In a defamation case, does a letter of character from someone of prestige help my case? I ask this because in the complaint, they are making assumptions of why I posted the blog, "with intent to xx". In reality, it was just a blog because I lived there for a year and wanted others to know my experiences (http://tinyurl.com/ohiatruth short url link). I'm sure that assumptions can't be held in court, since they are not psychology professionals *guess*?
3) To present witness statements and such, I don't have to file a form with what evidence I have, do I (I see in the movies "exhibit A", etc)? Won't that spoil all my secrets/defense if the plaintiff can see it as well before even the court starts? I'm assuming no because the plaintiff did not include anything like that.. but I don't like to assume.
4) Can I add on more information to my complaint response/counterclaims?
5) How long does the Plaintiff have to actually get a court date before the case is thrown out? I was served almost 1 year ago, but nothing has happened (the media and other peers claim that they were just trying to intimidate me; that they'd avoid at all costs actually going to court -- they thought I would back down, I suppose). And if it's thrown out, does anything happen to my counter-claims, or do I get anything for my time/money wasted? Or do I just file my own suit if that happens (if I want to pursue)?
Thank you so much for the newbie advice! No matter how much research I've done, there's still so much I do not know.
Edit: PS -- It's okay if you only answer 1-2 of my questions if you don't know or don't have much time. Any input is appreciated
I live in Hawaii and I have just a few generic questions about a civil suit (defamation from facebook blog review of student housing; i'm defendant):
1) If I change my address, do I have to do anything legally official? So far, in my recent letter to their attorney, I put "note new address: xx". I don't have to file anything with the court, do I? It's already updated via USPS, drivers license, etc..
2) In a defamation case, does a letter of character from someone of prestige help my case? I ask this because in the complaint, they are making assumptions of why I posted the blog, "with intent to xx". In reality, it was just a blog because I lived there for a year and wanted others to know my experiences (http://tinyurl.com/ohiatruth short url link). I'm sure that assumptions can't be held in court, since they are not psychology professionals *guess*?
3) To present witness statements and such, I don't have to file a form with what evidence I have, do I (I see in the movies "exhibit A", etc)? Won't that spoil all my secrets/defense if the plaintiff can see it as well before even the court starts? I'm assuming no because the plaintiff did not include anything like that.. but I don't like to assume.
4) Can I add on more information to my complaint response/counterclaims?
5) How long does the Plaintiff have to actually get a court date before the case is thrown out? I was served almost 1 year ago, but nothing has happened (the media and other peers claim that they were just trying to intimidate me; that they'd avoid at all costs actually going to court -- they thought I would back down, I suppose). And if it's thrown out, does anything happen to my counter-claims, or do I get anything for my time/money wasted? Or do I just file my own suit if that happens (if I want to pursue)?
Thank you so much for the newbie advice! No matter how much research I've done, there's still so much I do not know.
Edit: PS -- It's okay if you only answer 1-2 of my questions if you don't know or don't have much time. Any input is appreciated
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