On Sun, 18 Aug 1996, Timothy C. May wrote:
At 3:29 AM 8/19/96, Alan Horowitz wrote:
I suspect they are trying to get a judgement against "John Doe", in the hopes of tracking him down later.
Actually, if I had a sizeable judgement against such a John Doe, I could probably find a private detective who would find the dude for a contingent fee. Wow, a whole new class of factoring (commerce definition) opens up. Get me a lawyer....
Lawyers out there can and should correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe either the criminal or civil justice system has the concept of a "John Doe" trial! The ability to have the advice of an attorney, to confront one's accusers, cross-examine witnesses, and mount a defense, and all that constitutional stuff. Rather hard to do if the trial is in the past tense.
Can you cite an example of such a "John Doe" trial in the U.S.?
Not exactly, but judgements against John Doe's or even "$956,334.34" are common. Typically they are default judgements where a property seizure is involved. "The United States of America v. $534,444.00" and "The United States of AMerica v. One Red Porsche" is a common theme.
(There may be trials "in absentia," more so in other countries than in the U.S., but not when no persons have been identified at all!)
--Tim May, who hopes he is never identified as the "John Doe" indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced in 1979 in Washington County, Oregon, for the crime of unlawful foddering in a public place.
Boycott "Big Brother Inside" software! We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Licensed Ontologist | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."
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