Defending yourself

[Gentle Lamb]

...

 

[peaceful-forest]

Did she record with or without your permission? You may be able to use that.

 

[Gentle Lamb]

Without permission. While on the phone with her friends and she was using the recordings inside of our house to bully and intimidate me after bullying me for a lengthy period.

 

[peaceful-forest]

Did she get the whole thing on camera or did she harass you and then started filming you when you reacted?

 

[Gentle Lamb]

She harassed me and then started filming after I reacted, but I have 1 witness each for 2 different occasions.

 

[Benjamin Müller]

Not sure where you are and what the laws are governing your area but I believe individuals can legally film you without your knowledge. So long as one member of the party is aware of the filming, it's legal. I suppose the question is: how bad was your reaction; where was it posted, if it was posted; how will this harm you in the long run? [job loss; suspension from school; legal recourse where she takes you to court?] Who does she intend to take these complaints to?[Employer; teacher; judge etc]

I don't know much about the situation but if this is a case where you would end up in court, you pretty much need a lawyer. If she loses, typically she pays your lawyer, but the court does offer free representation in court if you cannot afford legal representation.

 

[Gentle Lamb]

I looked up the law and it says 1 person consent which is so ridiculous and lame. She was using video chat with her friends to embarass me after she goaded me to the point where I finally started defending myself --- through loud prayers!!! So she is using recordings of me to say that I've been harassing her. She assumes absolutely no responsibility for her actions. It is more than frustrating. I have been very distraught.

 

[Unqualified]

2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,But he who is devious in his ways despises Him.5 A trustworthy witness will not lie,But a false witness utters lies.22 Will they not go astray who devise evil?But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.23 In all labor there is profit,But mere talk leads only to poverty.25 A truthful witness saves lives,But he who utters lies is treacherous.

 

[Benjamin Müller]

I looked up the law and it says 1 person consent which is so ridiculous and lame. She was using video chat with her friends to embarass me after she goaded me to the point where I finally started defending myself --- through loud prayers!!! So she is using recordings of me to say that I've been harassing her. She assumes absolutely no responsibility for her actions. It is more than frustrating. I have been very distraught.

If all you did was pray and you didn't say hit her or flip tables etc. then in the legal realm she won't have much to go on, especially since you do have witnesses to events (and character witnesses count in court, even if they did not witness anything first-hand)

I'm sorry a petty woman is doing this to you. I would recommend staying as far from her as you possible can, and I'd even go as far as saying don't speak to her. When Christ stood before his accusers, he never opened his mouth. Sometimes silence is the best form of peace.

 

[Gentle Lamb]

Yes, you're right Benjamin. Unfortunately, that petty person is related to me. I didn't lay a finger on her. I prayed loudly, stepped out of her room after she asked me to a few times, an anointed all the places (including her room) with holy oil multiple times to address the evil she has been putting me through for the last few months. The police said that my prayers and anointing her carpet qualify as harrassment and domestic violence. I'm just flabbergasted and trying to fight the charges. It's unbelievable.

 

[Benjamin Müller]

an anointed all the places (including her room) with holy oil multiple times to address the evil she has been putting me through for the last few months. The police said that my prayers and anointing her carpet qualify as harrassment and domestic violence. I'm just flabbergasted and trying to fight the charges. It's unbelievable.

I'm not sure what you said in prayer, but anointing her room with oil would I suppose fall under trespassing of some sorts. I'm not an expert in the law, but I assume they could use that in the 'harassment' case.

Do you two live in the same house?

The charges that she pressed, do you have a court date?

 

[Wyatt A.]

I looked up the law and it says 1 person consent which is so ridiculous and lame. She was using video chat with her friends to embarass me after she goaded me to the point where I finally started defending myself --- through loud prayers!!! So she is using recordings of me to say that I've been harassing her. She assumes absolutely no responsibility for her actions. It is more than frustrating. I have been very distraught.

The thing you need to know about bullies is they are cowards...
Why? Because they don't have the guts to admit they were wrong. They have to live with themselves, they wonder why their life is the way it is. They see you as having what they want, and they don't have it so they take their emotions out on you because you have what they don't have. They do it because they think it will make them feel better...in kind of an endless loop...All they have to do is admit they were wrong and they would start to feel better...

 

[Wyatt A.]

She harassed me and then started filming after I reacted, but I have 1 witness each for 2 different occasions.

Start documenting everything that has happened. Audio recording. Talk about every event that has happened relating to this.

There's actually a significant concern about bullying in recent years. There's a stop bullying campaign and a site called stopbullying.gov.

 

[Gentle Lamb]

I'm not sure what you said in prayer, but anointing her room with oil would I suppose fall under trespassing of some sorts. I'm not an expert in the law, but I assume they could use that in the 'harassment' case.

Do you two live in the same house?

The charges that she pressed, do you have a court date?

Yes, we live in the same house. Well, we did up until recently. I definitely won't do anymore anointing since she's beyond prayerful help and has gone to the police about me praying and anointing. And yes, there is a court date. She's trying to get me out of the house by getting me a criminal record with a restraining order against me, all because I was praying loudly in our own house. This is just unbelievable.

 

[Benjamin Müller]

Yes, we live in the same house. Well, we did up until recently. I definitely won't do anymore anointing since she's beyond prayerful help and has gone to the police about me praying and anointing. And yes, there is a court date. She's trying to get me out of the house by getting me a criminal record with a restraining order against me, all because I was praying loudly in our own house. This is just unbelievable.

If you're in the USA you are entitled to a court-appointed-attorney under the 6th amendment so you shouldn't have to spend anything as far a lawyer fees.

I feel bad for you.

Under the 1st amendment you're entitled to pray especially in your home, so I doubt she can get you much on that and because oil is washable and nothing damaged, I doubt they can go much on that either. Harassment seems rather subjective. I wouldn't be surprised if the judge throws out the case, especially as a first offender count. If you can acquire statements from friends that she has been antagonizing you to react in this manner that might help. Whether they'll be reviewed or not in the court, I don't know, but to have the documents on hand to give to the attorney would probably help your case.

 

[Wyatt A.]

Yes, we live in the same house. Well, we did up until recently. I definitely won't do anymore anointing since she's beyond prayerful help and has gone to the police about me praying and anointing. And yes, there is a court date. She's trying to get me out of the house by getting me a criminal record with a restraining order against me, all because I was praying loudly in our own house. This is just unbelievable.

You can go to the police too and talk to them and try to get it on record. You can also try to file a restraining order.

 

[Gentle Lamb]

Please help me understand the 1 party consent law: given that i was in my own home, i did not know she was recording me, nor did I give consent for her to record me, do her recordings hold up as valid evidence in court?

 

[Benjamin Müller]

Please help me understand the 1 party consent law: given that i was in my own home, i did not know she was recording me, nor did I give consent for her to record me, do her recordings hold up as valid evidence in court?

Yes, unfortunately, the video recording could be used as evidence against you.


The only possible legal way around that I can think of is if you can argue a reasonable expectation of privacy

But it could be tricky because if she was filming you in her room then she could, I suppose, argue that she had a right to privacy; if you were being filmed in common areas of the home then her argument might not bear as much weight. I'm not a lawyer as I said before, but it's something to discuss with an attorney.

I'm not sure what the video entails, but you could discuss a defamation suit with an attorney as well if the video has been recorded in such a way to really distort the context.

Is this girl a Christian or of another religion or no religion at all?

 

[Wyatt A.]

Please help me understand the 1 party consent law: given that i was in my own home, i did not know she was recording me, nor did I give consent for her to record me, do her recordings hold up as valid evidence in court?

What I've read about 1 party consent is its mainly for audio recording.

 

[Gentle Lamb]

She's of no religion. I had one foot in her room and then after she requested about 2x I stepped out of her room and was standing outside of it. The other recordings were done in common areas of the home, like she recorded me praying in response to her goading me by ignoring me and making small talk to my husband. She has video and audio recording that she submitted as evidence to the courts.