Q: If a citizen isn't obeying traffic laws and pulls a gun and i feel threatened can i sue?
Civillian did not obey the driving laws and pulled over multiple times. He impeded traffic for about 5 minutes and did not use turn signals. The final time he pulled over and pulled a gun on me when i did not exit my vehicle and I felt threatened. I have footage of the incident.
A:
You can absolutely sue. Your most likely claim would be intentional infliction of emotional distress. You have a really, really low potential for recovery, however. This is not a case I would personally take on a contingency fee basis (meaning you do not pay your attorney to take the case, the attorney takes any fees out of money awarded by the court).
Be aware, you would have to have felt a lot more than "threatened" to pursue an IIED claim. You would have to have suffered distress. You would need to prove the distress was substantial enough that you deserve to be compensated for it.
One of the biggest problems in a case like this is recovery. If the less than courteous driver does not have substantial assets to seize, you are faced with a situation where you could win a judgment but find that judgment unrecoverable.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
