Send lawyers, guns, and money

[mattw]

I live near Pittsburgh, PA. Before becoming a full time poker player, I was a semi-pro card counter. While returning from AC, I was in a fender bender. Specifically, about 5 miles east of Philly, in NJ, I was rear ended and pushed into the car if front of me. The traffic pattern was stop and go for about a half hour. The weather was clear, roads dry, about 730AM. There were no drugs or alcohol involved.

The guy that hit me appeared to be a bussnisman(sp) driving a Cherokee type vehicle, the guy I was pushed into was a blue collar worker driving an older style work van. Im in a Corrola, the smallest of the vehicles involved. Everyone was ok, the police were not called, and we all drove off after exchanging the required info.

An insurance adjuster inspected my car several days later. I received a check for ~$1k; minor cracks in both front and rear bumpers in the plastic/rubber molding.

I get a notification via snail mail that Im being sued by the guy who I was pushed into. Through my insurance company and lawyers, we agree to do the court thing via telephone; no way in hell Im driving 400 miles to appear in court to settle an obvious fraudulent case.

After several dates have been cancelled, I finally get the conference call. Three lawyers, mine, the rear-ender, and the fraudulant van guy's are on the phone. Following is how the conversation starts:

Lawyer: What do you do for a living?

(WTF does my occupation have to do with anything?)

Me: Im self employed.

Lawyer: what do you do for a living?

Me: I play poker. ( I hear laughter in the background.)

Lawyer: Professionally?

Me: Yes.

Lawyer: Are you on television? (Laughter.)

Me: Huh? Am I on television? (More laughter.)

Lawyer: Are you on television?

Me: No, Im not on television. (Ahh, I get it, Im supppose to look like a dick.)

Upon completion of the inquire, I hang up and mutter to myself I hope you secret hand shaking buttholes had fun at my expense.

This is my story and Im sticking to it.

[cardcounter0]

Lawyer: what do you do for a living?

Me: I play poker. ( I hear laughter in the background.)

Lawyer: Professionally?

Me: Yes.

Lawyer: Are you on television? (Laughter.)

Me: But don't tell anybody. I just tell people I'm a child molester so they don't think I'm a lawyer or something.

[magoo]

You told those lawyers the wrong answer. Best to take advantage of playing poker and making money at it (more or less anonymously). Given what you told them, they could require you to provide them with your tax returns. Do YOU THINK they were joking with you, when they asked if you were on TV? I hardly think so.

[DrewOnTilt]

[ QUOTE ]
The guy that hit me appeared to be a bussnisman(sp) driving a Cherokee type vehicle, the guy I was pushed into was a blue collar worker driving an older style work van. Im in a Corrola, the smallest of the vehicles involved. Everyone was ok, the police were not called, and we all drove off after exchanging the required info.

[/ QUOTE ]

ALWAYS call the police. What would you have done if someone had given you BS identification and insurance information? And then you would have a police report to back you up, since you apparently were not at fault.

[Banks2334]

Should have invited them to play with you and get your money back.

[GretasGun]

Am I the first to get the Warren Zevon reference?

[Banks2334]

No.

[Nut4Dawgs]

[ QUOTE ]
ALWAYS call the police.

[/ QUOTE ]
Not all cities will respond to no-injury auto accidents. They're overloaded and don't have the manpower. They actively encourage "no 911 calls."

The city of Houston, for instance, has signs designating areas they deem safe for pulling in/over to and settling things between those involved. They don't want to slow traffic anymore than the freakish nightmare it already is.

You could get around this by claiming a suspected injury and not only protect yourself but probably discourage BS like what the OP went through.

[GretasGun]

Darn.

[AngusThermopyle]

Take it easy, get yourself a big dish of beef chow mein and don't be an excitable boy.

[mattw]

something i forgot in the OP was i was sent pics of the van. it had a metal rear fender bent to hell. no way my plastic front bumper did that damage. oh, the van's pics were dated 3 months after the accident. lol. i figure this case will be dismissed and the van idiot may be even charged with fraud.

today i check my snail. two letters from a different lawyer saying he is taking over the case.

wtf. just go away.

[jfk]

[ QUOTE ]
ALWAYS call the police.

[/ QUOTE ]

...in LA, the PD won't even stop if they happen to drive by the scene-multiple times.

[RJT]

[ QUOTE ]
Take it easy, get yourself a big dish of beef chow mein and don't be an excitable boy.

[/ QUOTE ]

NH, AT.

To Matt the OP,

do you play live anywhere around? e.g the cardrooms in Pitt, Salamanca, Niagara? Limit or NL? Just curious live about an hour away.

RJT

[ItalianFX]

I play 2/4 at Salamanca.

Anyways, this is probably not relevant to this case:

A minor "fender-bender" is not a reportable accident in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The only times that you should call the police are when there are injuries involved, or a vehicle is so disabled that it cannot be driven safely without causing further damage and has to be towed from the scene.

In this case, exchanging information is all that you needed to do. I don't know why they needed to know your current profession, but if this is turning into a problem, I would suggest you get a lawyer and make the trip to have a face-to-face conversation.

[SamuraiPlatypus]

speaking of the pittsburgh area and poker, there's apparently a cardroom just opened in the wilmerding/turtle creek/wilkins area (i'm being purposefully semi-vague here). I've yet to go there, but i have it from reliable sources that its pretty lousy. $1-2 uncapped NL, 10% rake (apparently capped at $8, which seems ridiculous), and that's it. i guess its only opened a few nights a week, and there's 4 NL cash game tables. anyone know if this place is really as non-worthwhile as it sounds?

[MrFizzbin]

[ QUOTE ]

Lawyer: What do you do for a living?

Me: Im self employed.

Lawyer: what do you do for a living?

Me: I play poker. ( I hear laughter in the background.)

Lawyer: Professionally?

Me: Yes.

Lawyer: Are you on television? (Laughter.)

Me: Huh? Am I on television? (More laughter.)

Lawyer: Are you on television?

Me: No, Im not on television.



[/ QUOTE ]
Dude all I can tell you is this is my response:

Lawyer: what do you do for a living?

Me: I play poker. ( I hear laughter in the background.)

Lawyer: Professionally?

Me: Yes, I set my own hours, wear what I want, and I don't bill my time in 6 minute incremnets, occationally I get free meals from the casino or other complemntary items, and I'm not beholding to anyone for anything. I dont have a boss that bugs the crap out of me, and when I go home I dont take work with me.

Lawyer: Are you on television? (Laughter.)

Me: No, but if you bring your wallet to Foxwoods, or the Borgota I'd be more than happy to provide a demonstration. Just leave the wives at home since they hate to see grown men cry...

[betgo]

You could ask what was funny or if yours was a less respectable occupation than lawyer.

[youtalkfunny]

He asked your profession, hoping to learn how deep your pockets are, and if this case was worth pursuing.

You told him you're Doyle Brunson, so now he has visions of a large settlement.

This would've been my reply:

LAWYER: What do you do for a living?

ME: Objection, relevance!

[PokerJokerAA]

EQUITY ANALYST

[andyfox]

It's an old one but a good one: What do you call one hundred lawyers chained together at the bottom of the ocean?

A pretty good start.

[schroedy]

Why isn't this just your insurance company's problem, not yours?

[chicagoY]

Man, I miss Warren Zevon--"dad get me out of this."

Hey, wouldn't "self-employed" be good enough here though. The rest is none of their business.

[chicagoY]

Great line, betgo. How about "Fish culler" for a title?

[bav]

[ QUOTE ]
Why isn't this just your insurance company's problem, not yours?

[/ QUOTE ]

When someone sues you, it is YOU that's being sued, not your insurance company. You don't get to just throw it back over the fence saying "that's why I have insurance". While insurance will pay for the defense and for the judgement (up to your limits, less deductibles), you still have to participate.

[schroedy]

Well, I guess I know the law and all.

I was just talking about "Why sweat it?"

Obviously, OP is not Carl Icahn or someone, so the potential plaintiff here will get nothing from OP (and he will have to like it).

Either OP's insurance will handle it, or OP will head to bk court.

As for lawyers being idiots . . . plenty are. But I don't think it's a case of statistical overrepresentation.

[NicksDad1970]

I've seen so much BS in my line of work.

I had a guy miss 1 year of work because he was injured when a buses mirror hit his mirror on his concrete truck. I mean you couldn't even FEEL that.

He came back for a month and then said he hurt his back carrying a chute (about 50 lbs) and has ben out for 6 more months.

[CaptainCrunch]

why is this jackass suing you, if you were pushed into him by the moron who ran into you? I mean, other than the fact that he's obviously a jackass. Has it been suggested by you, your lawyer or your insurance company that maybe he should sue the at fault party, rather than another victim?


Oh, and this occurs to me (paranoia)... how certain are you that you weren't "bracketed" by operators who watched you walk out of some room in AC with a large stack, thereby making you look like you had deep pockets to reach into?

[Rottersod]

[ QUOTE ]
why is this jackass suing you, if you were pushed into him by the moron who ran into you? I mean, other than the fact that he's obviously a jackass. Has it been suggested by you, your lawyer or your insurance company that maybe he should sue the at fault party, rather than another victim?


Oh, and this occurs to me (paranoia)... how certain are you that you weren't "bracketed" by operators who watched you walk out of some room in AC with a large stack, thereby making you look like you had deep pockets to reach into?

[/ QUOTE ]

He's suing the OP because the OP is considered the "at fault" party since it was his car that rear ended the guy. The OP could in turn sue the guy that rear ended him for causing this. The questions that the lawyers had about occupation are standard questions and nothing is to be gained by evading them. The best practices are to carry a disposable camera (or use your cell phone camera) in your car and immediately take pictures of the other cards AND the occupants in the other cars, especially pictures of them standing. Also important is to take pictures of your surroundings in case you later get sued by a homeowner or the city claiming damage to their property.

It's also important that you get and record the other drivers driver's license and insurance and even take a picture of them if you can. If he can't provide a drivers license call the cops immediately. Make sure to not only get their phone numbers but try calling them while you are both there to make sure they are correct.

Doing all this won't guarantee you won't be sued but it will strengthen your case against fraudulent claims.

[neuroman]

[ QUOTE ]
today i check my snail. two letters from a different lawyer saying he is taking over the case.

wtf. just go away.

[/ QUOTE ]
This could be interpreted as a good sign, as it likely indicates the previous lawyer probably ditched the case because he realized his client was an idiot/liar.

[chesspain]

[ QUOTE ]
...Three lawyers, mine, the rear-ender, and the fraudulant van guy's are on the phone. Following is how the conversation starts:

Lawyer: What do you do for a living?

(WTF does my occupation have to do with anything?)

Me: Im self employed.

Lawyer: what do you do for a living?

Me: I play poker. ( I hear laughter in the background.)

Lawyer: Professionally?

Me: Yes.

Lawyer: Are you on television? (Laughter.)

Me: Huh? Am I on television? (More laughter.)

Lawyer: Are you on television?


[What you should have said]
Me: You mean, like right now?

[/ QUOTE ]

[Andrew Karpinski]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
why is this jackass suing you, if you were pushed into him by the moron who ran into you? I mean, other than the fact that he's obviously a jackass. Has it been suggested by you, your lawyer or your insurance company that maybe he should sue the at fault party, rather than another victim?


Oh, and this occurs to me (paranoia)... how certain are you that you weren't "bracketed" by operators who watched you walk out of some room in AC with a large stack, thereby making you look like you had deep pockets to reach into?

[/ QUOTE ]

He's suing the OP because the OP is considered the "at fault" party since it was his car that rear ended the guy. The OP could in turn sue the guy that rear ended him for causing this. The questions that the lawyers had about occupation are standard questions and nothing is to be gained by evading them. The best practices are to carry a disposable camera (or use your cell phone camera) in your car and immediately take pictures of the other cards AND the occupants in the other cars, especially pictures of them standing. Also important is to take pictures of your surroundings in case you later get sued by a homeowner or the city claiming damage to their property.

It's also important that you get and record the other drivers driver's license and insurance and even take a picture of them if you can. If he can't provide a drivers license call the cops immediately. Make sure to not only get their phone numbers but try calling them while you are both there to make sure they are correct.

Doing all this won't guarantee you won't be sued but it will strengthen your case against fraudulent claims.

[/ QUOTE ]

Do people actually do this? I mean, who gets rear-ended, smashes into another car and then immediately jumps up and starts snapping photos of their surroundings. Suffering probable whiplash they're turning into a cameraman?

[Rottersod]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
why is this jackass suing you, if you were pushed into him by the moron who ran into you? I mean, other than the fact that he's obviously a jackass. Has it been suggested by you, your lawyer or your insurance company that maybe he should sue the at fault party, rather than another victim?


Oh, and this occurs to me (paranoia)... how certain are you that you weren't "bracketed" by operators who watched you walk out of some room in AC with a large stack, thereby making you look like you had deep pockets to reach into?

[/ QUOTE ]

He's suing the OP because the OP is considered the "at fault" party since it was his car that rear ended the guy. The OP could in turn sue the guy that rear ended him for causing this. The questions that the lawyers had about occupation are standard questions and nothing is to be gained by evading them. The best practices are to carry a disposable camera (or use your cell phone camera) in your car and immediately take pictures of the other cards AND the occupants in the other cars, especially pictures of them standing. Also important is to take pictures of your surroundings in case you later get sued by a homeowner or the city claiming damage to their property.

It's also important that you get and record the other drivers driver's license and insurance and even take a picture of them if you can. If he can't provide a drivers license call the cops immediately. Make sure to not only get their phone numbers but try calling them while you are both there to make sure they are correct.

Doing all this won't guarantee you won't be sued but it will strengthen your case against fraudulent claims.

[/ QUOTE ]

Do people actually do this? I mean, who gets rear-ended, smashes into another car and then immediately jumps up and starts snapping photos of their surroundings. Suffering probable whiplash they're turning into a cameraman?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not immediately but yes, plenty of people here in LA do this because we know that auto-insurance fraud is so prevalent here.

[betgo]

[ QUOTE ]
Great line, betgo. How about "Fish culler" for a title?

[/ QUOTE ]
They had an invitational WTA freeroll for a WSOP some people in the MTT forum and some moderators. I thought it would be funny to act like table coach and criticize people's play. I made some remards about Chief's (one of the MTT moderators) play and he presumably gave me this.

I post a lot in the MTT forum and some people don't like my posts. I would probably prefer a title of "5th place in Paradise Masters ME".