Wednesday, August 4, 2010

I Swear On...

My wife and I were having one of those conversations that started I don't know where, but soon led to courtroom procedure and the swearing of oaths.  I mentioned that in California, I believe that they do not (and have not, for a long time) had witnesses swear an oath on the Bible, "so help you God" but "under penalty of perjury."  I think in some parts of the U.S., they still use a Bible--but I could be wrong.  I also told her that I had read of British courts having Hindu witnesses swear an oath on a cow. This led to a discussion of how swearing an oath while holding your hand on something sacred is pretty widespread.  "In California, I guess they should swear an oath on a stack of $100 bills."  Her response was, "No, on a bag of pot."

I'm having trouble sleeping.  This lawsuit, and all its uncertainty, is just tearing me up.  I recently read about a lawsuit by a doctor who sued a patient and lawyer who had sued him for malpractice.  The doctor was demanding damages for emotional distress and mental anguish.  I used to read those descriptions and wonder, "How bad could it be?"  Now I know.  It's bad. 

I do hope once these Righthaven suits start getting dismissed on a regular basis, that the victims that have some time and money for recreational litigation start to file suits against Righthaven's sewers (no, that's not a typo) for this very reason.  Not in the hopes of getting enough to make up for what they are suffering--but just so that Righthaven's sewers understand what it is like.

1 comment:

  1. I know what it's like having something weighing on your head. I really fell for you. I hope it won't affect your health. You can't see it now, but when the suit is over and it ends in your favor, it will seem like a mildly bad dream.

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