{"id":2721,"date":"2011-05-20T14:59:19","date_gmt":"2011-05-20T18:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sidebarforplaintiffs.naomifein.net\/?p=2721"},"modified":"2014-12-20T13:44:12","modified_gmt":"2014-12-20T18:44:12","slug":"oh-no-now-you%e2%80%99re-thinking-about-suing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sidebarforplaintiffs.naomifein.net\/?p=2721","title":{"rendered":"Worried about suing? Understanding and using your feelings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although this be madness, yet there is method in \u2018t. \u2013 William Shakespeare, Hamlet<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Something is wrong. You\u2019re angry, hurt, depressed and\/or anxious. In some area of your life, somebody or somebodies are behaving in a way that affects you badly. You feel betrayed, mistreated. The words \u201cunfair\u201d and \u201cwrong\u201d pound in your head.<\/p>\n

You are aggrieved. You yell at your suspected enemies in the shower, or at night when you can\u2019t put your brain to sleep. Maybe you\u2019re drinking a bit more than usual, or ingesting other mind-altering substances. Your skin is wrinkled (the long showers), you are exhausted (lack of sleep and\/or overabundance of booze).<\/p>\n

Your friends, whose ears and e-mails you have been bending, say you worry too much, you\u2019re becoming obsessed. So now you\u2019re aggrieved at your friends, too.<\/p>\n

You should be. They\u2019re wrong. If something is bothering you, it\u2019s real and they should be taking it seriously.<\/p>\n

Besides, by spilling your guts to your friends, you\u2019ve instinctively taken the first step toward assembling your facts for a lawsuit\u2013what I\u2019ve previously labeled Making A Record<\/strong>. They are, as you’ll learn, assisting you in compiling facts for your lawsuit, even if they’re not yet aware of it.<\/p>\n

Soon you\u2019re going to alter your friends\u2019 attitude and turn them into your support team. But first, let\u2019s talk about you.<\/p>\n

What are you thinking about yourself? Thinking you\u2019re helpless? You\u2019re not. You wouldn\u2019t be reading Sidebar<\/strong> if you thought you were. You are actively seeking information, your armor in the upcoming battle.<\/p>\n

Thinking that maybe you\u2019d better see a lawyer, a terrifying thought given everything you hear about lawyers?<\/p>\n

Yes, you will be seeing a lawyer. But not yet.<\/p>\n

On Obsession as a Force for Good.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m an enthusiast of obsession. I sniff at people who use the term pejoratively.<\/p>\n

Obsession is good.<\/p>\n

Obsession is a human dynamic and, if applied properly, a devilishly effective learning tool.<\/p>\n

Obsession is a vital drive for writers, painters, scientists, explorers, inventors, and (intelligent) legislators.<\/p>\n

My defendants have twice publicly accused me of obsession. I quote from their Answer and Counterclaims filed in response to my complaint against them:<\/p>\n

…Plaintiff <\/em>[that\u2019s me] appeared to become obsessive about her role with regard to the corporation and the building, usually referring to the building as \u201cMy Building.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

My reaction? I chuckled. I mean, who doesn\u2019t refer to her residence as \u201cmy building?\u201d And I laughed when Named Defendant One repeated this accusation, virtually word-for-word, during his deposition.<\/p>\n

For one big thing, their \u201cclaim\u201d of “obsession” is not a legal cause of action. For another, it\u2019s a perverse compliment. I mean, when faced with people you know you\u2019ll have to sue, what would you want to be? A flaccid dimwit?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to demonstrate how to use obsession to compile your case, even before you find a lawyer. Your eventual lawyer may not thank you openly, but she’ll be grateful. Because a lawsuit divides neatly into two areas of expertise, two jobs:<\/p>\n