im suing someone..do i have to disclose I'm a stripper?
Hi ladies-
I am suing this lady who hit me with her car while I was on my bike. I sustained back injuries and accumulated about 10,000 in medical bills. Well, it has been about a year and a half and I am almost totally recovered so I am ready to sue for med bills, etc. My lawyer asked me to write a thorough paper about the circumstances of the accident and also all my personal background info. The city I work in (San Diego) I have had an "Adult Entertainer's License" issued by the SDPD. My lawyer asked me to give any permits I have, and my employment history, where I was living (at that time I was living in a hotel). So, how do I deal with this? I don't want all this info becoming public or something our be used to humiliate and intimidate me by the defense attorney. Does anybody have any suggestions?
Re: im suing someone..do i have to disclose I'm a stripper?
did you talk to your lawyer about it? i believe that you are guaranteed confidentiality...
Re: im suing someone..do i have to disclose I'm a stripper?
no, I havent told my lawyer I was a stripper when this accident happened. Should I tell him?
Re: im suing someone..do i have to disclose I'm a stripper?
Yes, your lawyer is getting paid to answer any and all of your questions. If he makes you feel uncomfortable about your occupation, then you should find another one. I don't know how much you have to disclose as a civil matter (I only know for sexual assault cases which is close to nil). They might want to know for an average of wages lost but past that, I really don't know. Your lawyer should understand your concern and comfort you while supporting your claims. Good luck!! :)
Re: im suing someone..do i have to disclose I'm a stripper?
yep. look it up but im 90% certain that what you tell your lawyer is confidential,... so you can discuss it with a knowlegeable source who wont be able to tell everyone if you ask.
some results from googling lawyer confidentiality:
http://attorneypages.com/help/ch8-la...dentiality.htm
http://www.msba.org/sec_comm/committ...wyerclient.htm
looks like unless you are threatening harm to others your lawyer will not be able to let everyone know unless you decide to.
Re: im suing someone..do i have to disclose I'm a stripper?
I say full disclosure. I'm not a lawyer but I would think if they have asked for specific information and you don't give it, it could go against your credibility and end up hurting your case. The bottom line is that your job has nothing to do with the fact that the lady hit you and any good lawyer will argue that if it comes up.
Re: im suing someone..do i have to disclose I'm a stripper?
Ask your lawyer for the best way to present it. Your job (especially since you have a license) will more than likely come out in court, so you may as well be the one to bring it up. Otherwise, the defense could frame it in a way that lied (by omission) about your job, so what else are you lying about that could be relevant to the case.
Re: im suing someone..do i have to disclose I'm a stripper?
Yup, ask the lawyer. If they say you need to be up front about it in court, well, it's 10 grand plus lost wages. If you don't think that's worth having your stripping in a public record (and trust me, there are legitimate reasons some people wouldn't want that to happen), then you'll have to look into other options.
Re: im suing someone..do i have to disclose I'm a stripper?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
biancababe
The city I work in (San Diego) I have had an "Adult Entertainer's License" issued by the SDPD.
You need an Adult Entertainer's License to strip in San Diego? Is it that way in all of California or just that city?
Re: im suing someone..do i have to disclose I'm a stripper?
the most important question is....do you file your taxes properly every year since you have been stripping?....up till the accident?
if the answer is no, then by law you are technically considered unemployed....so you will not get any money at all for lost wages because you dont have any proof of them....
the second important question....have you stripped or worked since the accident?....if the answer is yes you probably will not get anything for pain and suffering either since you were able to work....
you should be able to get some of the medical costs.....that is only assuming your lawyer can prove the accident was 100% their fault....
if it goes to court i can guarantee you the defense lawyer will know EVERYTHING about you!!....they have their ways and they are VERY good at it!
Re: im suing someone..do i have to disclose I'm a stripper?
if you tell him you are/were a stripper, yes, that falls under confidentiality. there are very few exceptions to that. imminent harm, crime committal, etc.
ask him, its what you are paying him for.
Re: im suing someone..do i have to disclose I'm a stripper?
First, tell him. He'll know how to handle that information to your advantage, or at least how to minimize it's damage to your case. (Yes, it can damage your case because it will make your claim for lost wages and lost future earnings less valuable.)
Second, the other side has the right to know how you make a living if they are going to properly evaluate the value of your claim. So, plan on it coming out.
Third, if you have not done so, hire the "king of torts" in San Diego. Those clowns who advertise on the back of the phone book are not likely to be the lawyers you want. Ask lawyers who the "king of torts" is in SD. Hire him or her.
XOXO
Z
Re: im suing someone..do i have to disclose I'm a stripper?
Talk to you lawyer be they can best tell you how to proceed.
If it comes up in court don't deny it.
Re: im suing someone..do i have to disclose I'm a stripper?
Quote:
the most important question is....do you file your taxes properly every year since you have been stripping?....up till the accident?
if the answer is no, then by law you are technically considered unemployed....so you will not get any money at all for lost wages because you dont have any proof of them....
Yup this is a HUGE concern. In the absence of past year's tax returns, the court will have no choice but to A. consider your legal income to be zero ( or the amount listed on a club 1099 or whatever ), or B. allow the amount of 'lost income' to become a matter for deliberation before the court. Also, since lawsuits are a matter of public record, it would not be the least bit surprising for the Cal FTB / IRS to be 'tipped off' by the judge or the defense attorney ... which could very probably result in your dancing earnings being investigated / audited if you wind up 'admitting' in the court record that you had dancing income you did not report / pay taxes on !!!
A recent example of the principle of 'lost income' versus 'officially reported income' is the Gulf Coast fishermen attempting to apply for compensation from BP as a result of their oil spill. The first thing that the BP claims people asked for was tax returns. When it turned up that no tax returns had been filed and that all of the fishermens' transactions had been paid in undocumented cash at the dock, once this hit national news the IRS was all over their case ! By the time the IRS gets done 'estimating' their actual ( but unreported ) incomes for the past three years, and sends them a bill for back taxes on that 'estimated' income ( plus penalties and interest ), these fishermen would have been WAY ahead by simply keeping their mouths shut and 'eating' the loss.
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