Home > Research Legal Advice > Litigation > Can I use victims from a separate case as witnesses in my small claims c...
Asked 4 months ago - Anaheim, CA
FlagTheir investigation was closed due to a lack of evidence, but when a friend recalled a threat months later and contacted them after years of not talking, they had found out this person had made good on that threat. I'd like to bring them with me to small claims against the person, who also committed a similar crime against me; their incident happened sometime in May of last year, mine was early this January. Would this be possible, since from the start of my investigation as well theirs, we've had the same suspect in mind - the one I want to take to court now - where both incident were similar, in that this person slashed tires/set fire to property immediately after being rejected by their love interest.
Law students spend weeks on this question. Generally, you cannot prove your case by showing that the defendant is the type of person who would do such a thing. But you can show identity, a common scheme, a plan, or a motive. How strong the similarity must be depends on what you are trying to prove.
Before you bring these other people into court, make sure that your evidence linking their damage to the perpetrator is strong. The court does not want to have a long trial regarding his involvement with these other people if they are not asking for damages.
Don't speak legalese? We define thousands of terms in plain English.
Browse our legal dictionary
