Robbery, turned property dispute!?!?!

How does that happen?

How does someone steal from your home but then you're left disputing your property in court, even with witnesses and document after document, with a prosecutor who rolls her eyes at you and talks over you and literally refuses to look at any statements or documents...

I had a deeply disheartening experience tonight in dealing with the Maplewood “justice system” after my home was robbed... I'm left scrating my head trying to figure this out...

Anyone else have expereince with our court system after being robbed...

Sounds awful but is the case still in progress? I'm not sure this should be discussed here. I'm really sorry.

Thanks - the case was closed last night.

I found lots of info last night on how to file a formal complaint... I have some paper work to file!

Beyond how I personally feel, the more I think on this the more I feel I must take a stand - our courts should not bully people. And if I dont speak up against what happened the behavior will never change.

This is why our justice system is not the best in the world. Is it more civilized than other nations? Yes. The best? No. This happened to a friend in mine (not a robbery case) where the judge absolutely dismissed pounds of evidence and gave my friend and her attorney the brush off. My friend was heartbroken and angry. Like you, evidence wasn't even looked at and the more the attorney pushed, the meaner and louder the judge became. How is this justice? Fair? The kicker was the judge told my friend she had "better grow up"! Grow up? My friend was seeking child support payments that were not being made and she was struggling. WTF? Judges need to be routinely screened for a host of ailments including bias.

I think municipal courts are a disaster in general. Every little town has a judge and a prosecutor. It's crazy.

I have to admit I don't really understand this story.

Someone robbed the OP and won't give back her stuff.

Wouldn't the prosecutor be your lawyer in this case?

Perhaps you'd have better luck in small claims court? (although maximum in NJ is only $3,000).

kibbegirl, exactly why I have to formally make my complaint. I would be remiss to just let this go knowing full well this could happen to another person. I think I've gotten solid advice on how to proceed, but I dont know what I dont know so I welcome advice.

MJH, feel free to message me privately if you want to better understand.

RobB, agree, a disaster in general! The case load is ridiculous! There is a (very small) part of me that understands why I got brushed off. There simply isn’t the manpower to handle all cases with proper attention. But frankly, our courts inability to effectively balance the workload in order to maintain integrity is not an excuse. And it shouldn't be made my problem.

sprout, I thought so too... lesson learned.

mjh said:

I have to admit I don't really understand this story.

me too.

Way too little info for comment.

ice said:

mjh said:

I have to admit I don't really understand this story.

me too.

jeffhandy said:

Way too little info for comment.

+

I understand, and I dont mean to be vague, but I cant put all detail here.

happy to chat with anyone who would like to know more. Im a little sad and surprised how many folks have so far... perhaps the issue with the courts is worse than i thought...

i will add...

someone I knew, came to my home univited and stole from me. the court told me that because I knew this person it was "too hard to prosecute".

so the message is, steal from someone you know...???

Well, that sucks. I think small claims court is the way to go if the municipal court would not proceed.

Am I the only one who could piece together her story without all the info? LOL!

She was robbed and IMO, likely knows the person who did it or at least can identify him/her. Whoever robbed her, won't give her back her stuff and is claiming that her stuff actually belongs to him/her and is most likely making her prove that it's hers. The OP has evidence that the stolen items are hers but the judge doesn't seem to care in the least. I know @lindapetrogouin can't confirm this to be right or wrong, but this is what I gathered.

This sounds like a case for Judge Judy!

http://www.judgejudy.com/submit_your_case

Understand completely. Houseguest, roomates, have stolen and it is not easy to prosecute, they tell you to work it out, and best forget it. Sorry it happened to you.

ha! my mother is such a fan! thanks for the smiles on this topic

brava kibbegirl!

I'm kinda serious. Watch the first case - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0VPAL5qtss

Well we've heard one side of the story. I wonder if the defendant posts on MOL.

composerjohn - link seems broken, and my curiosity is piqued!

LOST - one side of the possible 4 or more, and not nearly all the details. The defendant is not on MOL, but since most dont use their real name when posting here, who knows!

mary2430 - thanks

LOST said:

Well we've heard one side of the story. I wonder if the defendant posts on MOL.

I don't know why someone would take the time out of life to file and fight a case that's untrue (I know! I know! People do do it...) If there's evidence that the belongings do not belong to the person who has them, what's the other side of the story?

@kibbegirl
Have you watched Judge Judy? ;-)

some truly crazy people on that show! my mom likes to tell me all about it

and eh, Im a big girl, I knew posting here to see if anyone else had a similar situation would bring criticism and judgement. c'est la vie

I wasnt asking for anyone to hear my version, nor side with me, or even care about what happened... I just wondered... did anyone go to court, hoping for support and then have a completely crappy experience.

lindajpetrosgouin said:

I wasnt asking for anyone to hear my version, nor side with me, or even care about what happened... I just wondered... did anyone go to court, hoping for support and then have a completely crappy experience.

lindajpetrosgouin said:

How does that happen?

I had a deeply disheartening experience tonight in dealing with the Maplewood “justice system” after my home was robbed... I'm left scrating my head trying to figure this out...

Anyone else have expereince with our court system after being robbed...

I mean you kind of set yourself up for the responses you've been receiving.

But the judge Judy references crack me up. You all know that is staged garbage, right? That they look for wack jobs for ratings, right?

frank the tank, most have been supportive, and im fine with the questions Ive even made a few new friends. its that the way a nice day should go?

now, stop commenting and read the article i posted for you... its a good read!! geesh!

tell that to my mother!! LOL she also saw a documentary on mermaids that she swears is real...

FilmCarp said:

But the judge Judy references crack me up. You all know that is staged garbage, right? That they look for wack jobs for ratings, right?