FILING A LAWSUIT | oInfi
One of SRP's newest factions is the Government faction! This faction encourages the use of issuing IDs to civilians, handing out warrants to the Karakura Police Department, and above those two things filing lawsuits! In this guide I will be focusing on helping YOU figure out how to file a lawsuit against an individual or organization who might have done something wrong to you, as well as how an actual court case will go down in SRP. But first, let's go over some terminology that's commonly used in these processes.
LAWSUIT -
A lawsuit is a claim, dispute, or disagreement brought to the court of law for adjudication.
DEFENDANT -
The individual who is being sued.
PROSECUTOR -
The individual who is suing the defendant. (Also known as the plaintiff)
BAILIFF -
The Bailiff is the person who starts the court case. Making sure everyone swears in. This means that they ensure everyone is telling the truth, and nothing but the truth!
PLAINTIFF -
The individual who is suing the defendant in the court case. (Also known as the prosecutor)
JURY -
The jury are the group of people that are responsible for the outcome of the court case. They listen to both sides of the story and in a non-biased manner determine whether the defendant is innocent or guilty. They are mostly compromised of judges.
JUDGE IN CHARGE -
The judge is the spokesperson of the jury. They are responsible for guiding the lawyers and announcing the verdict.
LAWYER -
The lawyers are the individuals who work with the defendants and prosecutors to help strengthen and argue their client's side of the case.
Now that we have that out of the way, let's get started!
You want to file a lawsuit, but have no idea how!
Well filing a lawsuit is far more simpler than you think. You want to settle a dispute with an individual or organization that may have done something wrong to you. Lawsuits can be filed down at the Police Station on SRP. You will be asked to come to the back of the station to state your claim, who you want to sue, why you want to sue them, and what you're hoping to gain from the lawsuit. Here are some things to keep in mind whilst filing a lawsuit:
- Evidence is a huge contributing factor to any and every court case. If you walk into the police station with nothing but accusations to your name, there's no way you can get your case accepted. Be sure to come prepared with plenty of screenshot or clip evidence that back your claims against the defendant you're suing. This will be sent to whatever officer's DMs you're currently talking to via discord. They will then take that evidence and put it into the system for further processing. Evidence can range from anything between CCTV or even text messages/call logs. Anything and everything goes as long as its valid!
- Sell your story! The way you state your claim means everything while filing a lawsuit. You can't just walk into the station and assume that you can sue someone because you said they stole your phone! You have to dig deeper than that. Develop an eye catching story or even simple well-built story to the officer you're speaking to and not only will it look interesting to the officer, but also to the mayor and commissioner themselves! Stories that are crime related are definitely eye-catching, however make sure that you're on the right side of the law!
- Payment. That's the tricky part about this. When you walk into the station to file a lawsuit make sure you have a sum of 100,000 yen in your back pockets! Filing a lawsuit costs money! So make sure that your story is believable and will make a great trial!
- Know what you want! Do you want money? Defamation? Removal from position? Arrest? Be sure to make up your mind, and make it reasonable! You can't just walk in and sue for nothing!
- Upon filing a lawsuit, you'll be contacted if it gets accepted. If the case did get accepted, you'll be provided with a lawyer and the lawsuit will begin! A trial will be scheduled (either a private or public trial), and will take place accordingly. Lawyers and jury are randomized each hearing, so you can't pick your lawyer!
EXAMPLE:
John and Mary were stood in front of the 11/7 having a conversation, when suddenly it escalated into a fight! It was Mary who threw the first punch, and John was merely defending himself. After John took the beating, he went to the station to sue Mary for 200,000 yen. After paying the fee, the KPD provided John's lawyers with the CCTV outside 11/7 and evidently John won the case! (Remember to have screenshot proof of these scenarios happening otherwise CCTV would be useless!)
What will happen during a trial?
There's a series of events that will happen during the trial. They will proceed like this:
- Introductions (Where everyone gets sworn in, meaning they promise to tell the truth, then the judge will describe the logistics of the case.)
- Opening statements (Where each lawyer will give their defendant or plaintiff's opening statement.)
- Witnesses (Where each lawyer will call up different witnesses to support their case. Sometimes lawyers will decide to cross-examine witnesses, which means that the opposing lawyer might come up and ask questions to the other lawyer's witness.)
- Evidence (Where each lawyer will present evidence to the jury to better state their side of the story.)
- Closing statements (Where the lawyers will give their final statement to the jury.)
- Verdict (Where the judge will announce whether or not the defendant is guilty or innocent.)
Some extra information:
- Lawyers will be allowed to object to any statements that the witness is saying whilst testifying. However it is up to the judge to determine whether the witness can stop answering the question or keep going.
And now for some FAQ!
What all can you sue an individual or organization for?:
- You can sue for pretty much anything! If someone stole your medication, or if the KPD has done you wrong, you're able to sue for anything as long as your story is convincing and you provide the proper evidence! The list could go on for ages, if someone made you upset and did something very wrong to you, why not take it to court?
Can I talk during court?:
- You are not permitted to speak out loud during court. That's what your lawyers are for! Unless you're up on the stand testifying, you are to remain seated and keeping your comments to you and your lawyer.
Can I call for witnesses?:
- You can dispute witnesses with your lawyer, and make sure they're available to testify on the day of the hearing! All opinions will be heard and considered by the jury.
How long does a case last?:
- A case should last between one and three OOC hours depending on the amount of witnesses provided. We try to keep it short and snappy however!
Do I have to have evidence for EVERYTHING?:
- Not at all! If you present a compelling enough case to the jury I'm sure you can sway their opinion!
Lastly, don't be scared to file a court case! We on the government faction love a good story and a good roleplay experience, so we highly encourage you to look into these things and participate in the faction! Even though you may not win your case, it's a wonderful experience all around.
One of SRP's newest factions is the Government faction! This faction encourages the use of issuing IDs to civilians, handing out warrants to the Karakura Police Department, and above those two things filing lawsuits! In this guide I will be focusing on helping YOU figure out how to file a lawsuit against an individual or organization who might have done something wrong to you, as well as how an actual court case will go down in SRP. But first, let's go over some terminology that's commonly used in these processes.
LAWSUIT -
A lawsuit is a claim, dispute, or disagreement brought to the court of law for adjudication.
DEFENDANT -
The individual who is being sued.
PROSECUTOR -
The individual who is suing the defendant. (Also known as the plaintiff)
BAILIFF -
The Bailiff is the person who starts the court case. Making sure everyone swears in. This means that they ensure everyone is telling the truth, and nothing but the truth!
PLAINTIFF -
The individual who is suing the defendant in the court case. (Also known as the prosecutor)
JURY -
The jury are the group of people that are responsible for the outcome of the court case. They listen to both sides of the story and in a non-biased manner determine whether the defendant is innocent or guilty. They are mostly compromised of judges.
JUDGE IN CHARGE -
The judge is the spokesperson of the jury. They are responsible for guiding the lawyers and announcing the verdict.
LAWYER -
The lawyers are the individuals who work with the defendants and prosecutors to help strengthen and argue their client's side of the case.
Now that we have that out of the way, let's get started!
You want to file a lawsuit, but have no idea how!
Well filing a lawsuit is far more simpler than you think. You want to settle a dispute with an individual or organization that may have done something wrong to you. Lawsuits can be filed down at the Police Station on SRP. You will be asked to come to the back of the station to state your claim, who you want to sue, why you want to sue them, and what you're hoping to gain from the lawsuit. Here are some things to keep in mind whilst filing a lawsuit:
- Evidence is a huge contributing factor to any and every court case. If you walk into the police station with nothing but accusations to your name, there's no way you can get your case accepted. Be sure to come prepared with plenty of screenshot or clip evidence that back your claims against the defendant you're suing. This will be sent to whatever officer's DMs you're currently talking to via discord. They will then take that evidence and put it into the system for further processing. Evidence can range from anything between CCTV or even text messages/call logs. Anything and everything goes as long as its valid!
- Sell your story! The way you state your claim means everything while filing a lawsuit. You can't just walk into the station and assume that you can sue someone because you said they stole your phone! You have to dig deeper than that. Develop an eye catching story or even simple well-built story to the officer you're speaking to and not only will it look interesting to the officer, but also to the mayor and commissioner themselves! Stories that are crime related are definitely eye-catching, however make sure that you're on the right side of the law!
- Payment. That's the tricky part about this. When you walk into the station to file a lawsuit make sure you have a sum of 100,000 yen in your back pockets! Filing a lawsuit costs money! So make sure that your story is believable and will make a great trial!
- Know what you want! Do you want money? Defamation? Removal from position? Arrest? Be sure to make up your mind, and make it reasonable! You can't just walk in and sue for nothing!
- Upon filing a lawsuit, you'll be contacted if it gets accepted. If the case did get accepted, you'll be provided with a lawyer and the lawsuit will begin! A trial will be scheduled (either a private or public trial), and will take place accordingly. Lawyers and jury are randomized each hearing, so you can't pick your lawyer!
EXAMPLE:
John and Mary were stood in front of the 11/7 having a conversation, when suddenly it escalated into a fight! It was Mary who threw the first punch, and John was merely defending himself. After John took the beating, he went to the station to sue Mary for 200,000 yen. After paying the fee, the KPD provided John's lawyers with the CCTV outside 11/7 and evidently John won the case! (Remember to have screenshot proof of these scenarios happening otherwise CCTV would be useless!)
What will happen during a trial?
There's a series of events that will happen during the trial. They will proceed like this:
- Introductions (Where everyone gets sworn in, meaning they promise to tell the truth, then the judge will describe the logistics of the case.)
- Opening statements (Where each lawyer will give their defendant or plaintiff's opening statement.)
- Witnesses (Where each lawyer will call up different witnesses to support their case. Sometimes lawyers will decide to cross-examine witnesses, which means that the opposing lawyer might come up and ask questions to the other lawyer's witness.)
- Evidence (Where each lawyer will present evidence to the jury to better state their side of the story.)
- Closing statements (Where the lawyers will give their final statement to the jury.)
- Verdict (Where the judge will announce whether or not the defendant is guilty or innocent.)
Some extra information:
- Lawyers will be allowed to object to any statements that the witness is saying whilst testifying. However it is up to the judge to determine whether the witness can stop answering the question or keep going.
And now for some FAQ!
What all can you sue an individual or organization for?:
- You can sue for pretty much anything! If someone stole your medication, or if the KPD has done you wrong, you're able to sue for anything as long as your story is convincing and you provide the proper evidence! The list could go on for ages, if someone made you upset and did something very wrong to you, why not take it to court?
Can I talk during court?:
- You are not permitted to speak out loud during court. That's what your lawyers are for! Unless you're up on the stand testifying, you are to remain seated and keeping your comments to you and your lawyer.
Can I call for witnesses?:
- You can dispute witnesses with your lawyer, and make sure they're available to testify on the day of the hearing! All opinions will be heard and considered by the jury.
How long does a case last?:
- A case should last between one and three OOC hours depending on the amount of witnesses provided. We try to keep it short and snappy however!
Do I have to have evidence for EVERYTHING?:
- Not at all! If you present a compelling enough case to the jury I'm sure you can sway their opinion!
Lastly, don't be scared to file a court case! We on the government faction love a good story and a good roleplay experience, so we highly encourage you to look into these things and participate in the faction! Even though you may not win your case, it's a wonderful experience all around.
