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I am looking for an attorney to file a suit for defamation in King County , WA.
I am looking to file a suit against the people that falsely accused my husband of sexual abuse. He has gone through trial in May of 2009 and was found not guilty by a jury of 12 people and despite the state's 12 "witnessess." We are trying to recover at least $100,000.00 that we spent in legal and travel fees. We are trying to have an attorney file the suit but try to mediate with the accuser(s) to settle out of court. The accuser has the means to pay and we have evidence to prove that the allegations were false.
Attorney answers (2)
Instead of filing suit first and then trying to mediate, you should consider trying to mediate first and only file suit if the accuser refuses to mediate or an acceptable settlement is not reached out of court. Defamation suits by their nature tend to be heavily litigated, so if mediation and settlement is your goal it may be better to try to mediate first and sue only if settlement efforts fail.
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Reputation Level 12
Answered over 2 years ago.
Child Support Lawyer in Puyallup, WA.
From the information you've provided above it would appear that creating the greatest sense of urgency against your "wrongful accusers" will occur when you file a suit against them, and a formal judicial timeline is established.
Often in civil suits the parties never really get down to considering settlement offers until right before the trial is about to start. This is when the motivation to settle exceeds the parties' tolerance of risking an adverse Court decision. Defamation (and the related cause of action "false light") require dilligent pleading, as well as detailed presentation and representation through the discovery and trial preparation phases of litigation. An experienced attorney can help you understand the judicial process for such a claim. Good luck. Related Questions2 Attorney answers: 
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