Self defense, legal costs and lost wages.

Self defense, the law and legal cost reimbursement. It has been statutory law here in WA that if you prevailed in a court of law at establishing a claim of self defense, the state can reimburse your legal costs.

The reimbursement has just become better, a WA state appeals court has just ruled that lost wages are part of the legal costs. They recognized that the cost of defense starts at the time of arrest.

This is a good move. How many people have lost their jobs over being arrested, only to later be found not guilty? In the case of self defense, there is now a little bit of relief.

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022069484_washdefensexml.html

http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/308367.pub.pdf

bob

That sounds good, but I seem to recall reading that there are those in the legislature who would like to see the reimbursement requirement weakened or removed. This ruling may gain more supporters for such a move. Let's hope not.

I would like to see the qualified immunity removed for cops ... too many instances of injustice occurring.

It would stop unlawful arrests in their tracks.

davidmcbeth said:

I would like to see the qualified immunity removed for cops ... too many instances of injustice occurring.

Click to expand...

There is no actual law that says cops have any kind of immunity to liability. What there is, is a legal doctrine. Courts simply refuse to listen to you unless you can prove the police acted outside of their authority (and often not even then). If you were to codify the doctrines of qualified police immunity and absolute prosecutorial immunity into statutory law as they are practiced in courts nationwide, that statute would be swiftly struck down by the courts for being unconstitutional.

But because it's a mere doctrine, it is upheld by the courts. That's insanity.