4 ms·
Absolutely. There is an asymmetry in access to the law. If you can afford a lawyer (like FarceBook) then you can do pretty much whatever you want, knowing that
by talkingtab 3y ago
Absolutely.
There is an asymmetry in access to the law. If you can afford a lawyer (like FarceBook) then you can do pretty much whatever you want, knowing that most people do not have the resources or will to do anything about it. So FarceBook can suspend your account and really not care. Verizon can change your plan then tell you it is policy not to let you change back. Paypal freezes your account. On and on.
But you have the right to take people to court. This guy took Instagram to court, then to the Supreme Court of New Hampshire. He won his appeal to the NHSC. https://www.nhpr.org/post/teatotaller-caf-owner-takes-facebook-nh-supreme-court-over-instagram-account-deletion https://www.nhpr.org/post/teatotaller-caf-owner-takes-facebo...
Step 1 is to find out the laws in your state about small claims. Some states are small claims friendly, some not so much.
Just google "your-state small claims".
Step 2 is to document everything. keep all email. Send documents US mail with a receipt required so you can prove everything. Think of it this way - you are going to present this to the judge. If you say "I sent them a letter", the lawyer can (and often will) say "we have no record of the letter". Hauling out your receipt and saying "it was delivered to xx office on May1 at 10AM according to this receipt".So
Step 3. Understand the law. This is hard. But the law determines the outcome. Some cases may be so egregious that you don't really need to be specific, but if you can be specific it helps. You can try to find out about consumer law in your state by google. For example here is a Maine website about consumer rights: https://www.maine.gov/ag/consumer/consumer_law_guide.shtml https://www.maine.gov/ag/consumer/consumer_law_guide.shtml
Step 4. Think like a judge. If you gave the other side a chance to respond (a demand letter) that is a plus. If there is no sign you attempted a reasonable resolution that is not as good.
Step 5. Win.
Doing this is hard, but in my book every small claims or pro se representation in court is a pro democracy action.
I'm interested in setting up a site to help people do small claims and appear pro se. I represented myself in a post divorce court case, lost, filed an appeal and lost the appeal. I set up a 2 second website https://usingthecourts.com https://usingthecourts.com. Visit and send an email if interested. Free and no tracking. (edit to remove fragment)