what can we do about to end these legal problems against martial artist?

Question

I have been absent from Y/A because of this problem. I have a friend who is a black belt in Aikido. He was at the bar and got attacked by a guy who thought he was flirting with his girl friend a little to much. the guy came in swinging. My friend flipped him and put him in some sort of arm pin (I don't know the names). he put pressure on it until the guy told him to stop. after that we left the bar. Later that month he got papers saying he was getting sewed. The other guy almost won the case citing a bunch of fake injuries, but my friends parents are kind of made of money, so they hired a private investagator that found a security tape of it. The bar tender, attorney and some doctor were in on it now there all being charged and sewed. My friends attorney said this happens thousands of times a year with out the good endings that we were lucky enough to have. So what if anything can we do to prevent these types of atrocities from happening. sorry if there are to many misspellings.

Answer 1

For one thing come election time remember that prosecutor that is going after them now because it sounds like that is the kind of person that you want. For another I would certainly make it known to any of my martial arts friends or friends otherwise who the doctor, bartender, and attorney are as well as the place that this happened at and all should be avoided. I certainly would not do business with them in any way if they had been guilty of something like this. Doctors and lawyers are in positions of trust and these two sound anything but that. I would also encourage you or your friend to follow-up with the licensing for that state for these two people. While they may not take their licenses away permanently they are more apt to suspend them if they know people are watching and monitoring the outcome of how their privileges to practice law or medicine are addressed by those agencies in your state. The newspapers can be very helpful in this and helping them to stay informed as to outcomes or getting them to followup with the outcome can also help to ensure that these people and their activities don't just get swept under the table and forgotten too soon. Unfortunately you are right in that some times it comes down to who you know or how much money you have when that should not be necessary to get a fair or honest day in court.

Answer 2

Making a choice to be a "True Martial Artist" often means leading a simpler somewhat boring life.
Life is not what you see on TV or in a movie.
A bar fight "Nearly Always" means dealing with cops or lawyers,....or both.
I have not stepped foot in bar in many years.The reason, because the mixing of alcohol,egos,and people trying to impress each other is a bad combination.
At 5'6" and 134 lbs. I make a great target to be used to make others look big and tough.That is until the first punch is thrown.Then the Lawyers come out of the woodwork.
Bars are full of bully's,cowards,and blow hards full of them selves and hot air.They don't like to be seen as a loser in front of their friends,(boozed up losers),so if they don't beat you in front of a crowd of drunks they will do their best to beat you in front of a jury.
This is not 1960 any more.When you decided to be a Martial Artist you made a host of other decisions as well,among them,"To avoid Conflict at all cost".
This means to avoid places where conflicts often take place.Like bars.
Today a person can be sued for just giving someone a dirty look.
Now-a-days If you want to socialize and have a few beers
invite a few friends over,cook up some food and talk about the old days,(back when things were fairly normal).

I am sorry but this is what life has become,it is no longer what is fair and just...Just who has the better Lawyer.

NOTE:This book is more than just a good read.
"American Law and the Trained Fighter" by Carl Brown
http://www.amazon.com/American-Trained-Fighter-Literary-Orient/dp/0897500911
(just a couple of bucks)

Answer 3

How did this guy serve your friend with papers? How did he get your friends address? Did he know him personally? As for the thousands of cases a year that happen like this, well that can happen to anyone. Doesn't matter if your a martial artist or not. We are a sew happy country. Just look at the auto accident industry, and that should tell you enough. Nothing we can really do about it unless people change their attitudes, and there is some kind of legislation against frivolous lawsuits.

Answer 4

Don't support Tort Reform!!!

Tort reform sounds good in theory, but really it is simply a idea conceived of and promoted by insurance companies to screw victims out of fair compensation and increase their own profits.

If you were attacked in a bar and seriously injured, wouldn't you want to be able to sue your attacker and get full compensation?

Those who support tort reform always point to a few outrageous examples of people who received many millions of dollars for minor injuries. These awards are almost always reduced by judges on appeal, so the defendant rarely pays anywhere close to the full amount. There are many more stories of people with serious injuries who never recover what they deserve.

One common sense reform that would actually help would be a law that says any punitive damages (as opposed to compensatory damages for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, etc.), would be paid not to the victim but into a fund to compensate people injured by someone unable to pay.

As for your specific question, if you are ever attacked and defend yourself with martial arts, you should start preparing your legal defense as soon as the physical defense ends - find witnesses to support you, call police and press charges, sue your attacker, etc.

Answer 5

I didn't know this was a problem. I've always heard about "registering" a martial artists hands (which is a myth), but not about getting sued over altercations.
Something I'd like to know more about though because I almost got into 2 fights a couple of months ago. Luckily they were prevented, but had they not been, I'd like to know what I'm in for if that happens.

Answer 6

Well...
1- The registered hands as weapons, thing is urban legand...
2- After you kick someone's butt call the cops and stay there...
3- If your buddy would have pressed criminal charges for assault, it doesn't matter the guy lost the fight, he tried. Then your friend would have been considered by the police as the victim, and would have gone on report as calling the police even if it was from the parking lot.
4- Avoid bars they are only trouble ;)

Answer 7

What does his problem have to do with you being absent from Y/A?

If that guy was flirting with another guy's girlfriend, he deserved to be put in his place.

And by the way, aren't you like 14 y/o? Be a 14 y/o and stay out of grown up stuff. If you are older than 14, you sure don't act like you are.

Answer 8

OK here is some past happenings I learned from
In Westminster Ca around 1999 ish I got in a fight at the corners of Westminster and Beach Blvd with a weapon wielding crazy looking ..., we got into it.
Well after the fight I called the cops, and they had me come in. I was pretty bloody and all - my opponent was in Westminster hospital., Well the guy I fought had been diagnosed with HIV and went off at the cops first, that's the corner near the police station and well this guy had just gotten re released from jail for attacking cops as well.( I had one hell ofa scary year after that as well). I was in no trouble at all with the police as it was called self defense.
Now another time a guy made false accusations against me 2005 , and I was charged with terrorist threats. I was found guilty simply for knowing Martial Arts. Orange County , Calif. nailed me as guilty without even a court case. The sad part is a poor friend of mine paid for the Bail and ate 1500 dollars so as I could go to court, but the system made it impossible and forced me to appear over 13 x to no trials but threats each time I appeared for my court case. No lawyer and the courts made the fact I wanted a trial a major threat against me. Now consider this the folks that accussed me and all owned a fight club, even having me challenged and my14 year old daughter as well ( whom was attacked at school and you alll saw the video here online to intimidate me during the trial time ). They had alot to profit if I was gotten rid of as I was a salesman for em, and had alot of mortgage sales that they wanted as theirs. My daughter had this loss all at Xmas, and that sux. They attacked her and took my money that was hers for xmas. So each xmas I will post this BS when I get the chance if it fits the question. OOO yea yea to Santa Claus ...
All the person had to do was say I said I was gonna kill him and have an accomplice agree, and blam I am guilty of a crime for knowing San Soo. That's the law in OC though I guess. It is a matter of word against word, some folks have more word. And as I seen in the court area it was all based on my knowledge of San Soo not my guilt or past guilt anywhere as I have no criminal history or past in violence. Martial Arts can ruin a life in OC Calif.

Answer 9

Well for starters not hit on other mens girlfriends :) But that aside any martial artist who makes his abilities known will not be charged with assault with a deadly weapon. For example "Hey man im sorry im a black belt in aikido i dont want a physical confrontation" And if something does happen try and take a mental note of whos there incase you need a witness later down the road.

Answer 10

Stop votin' democrat. You've seen what they're trying to do with guns, martial arts is only the next stop.