Law Offices of Attorney David Grossack

c/o Citizen’s Justice Institute

P.O. Box 90

Hull, MA     02045

 

FEDERAL LITIGANT’S QUESTIONNAIRE

 

 

NAME                                                                                                                      

ADDRESS                                                                                                                      

CITY                                                            STATE                          ZIP                                         

TELEPHONE (Optional)  _______________________   

E-MAIL (Optional) ____________________________                                                       

 

 

1.         Have you been treated unfairly in federal court?     [  ] (Yes)              [  ] (No)

 

2.         If the answer to question (1) was yes, please state:

 

(a)        The name and location of the court.

 

                                                                                                                                               

 

(b)        The name of the case. (e.g. Brown v. County of Fairfax)                                                                                                                                                 

 

 

(c)        The docket number of the case.                                                                                  

 

 

3.         Did your case include claims for violation of constitutional rights?  [  ] (Yes)       [  ] (No)

 

4.         How far did your case go in the district court (please circle the appropriate response)?

                                                                                   

a) Filing stage only       b) Discovery       c) Evidentiary hearing     e) Trial

 

 

5.         Did you use a court form as a guide to writing your complaint?   [  ] (Yes)       [  ] (No)

                                                                                                                                               

6.         Did you use a courthouse library to work on your case?   [  ]  (Yes)           [  ] (No)                                                

 

7.         If the answer to question (6) was “no;” please state the reason why not?

 

 

 

8.         Did you receive helpful and courteous assistance from the clerk’s office?

 

9.       If the answer is “no” to question (8), please explain.

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                               

10.         Did the judge treat you courteously and politely?   [  ]  (Yes)           [  ] (No)

                                                                                                                    

11.       If the answer to question (10) is “no,” please explain and elaborate.

 

                                                                                                                                              

 

                                                                                                                                               

 

 

12.       If your case was dismissed prior to trial, please state the reason given by the judge.

 

 

13.       Did your federal court lawsuit complain about:  (please check block(s)

[  ]     (a)      the conduct of a municipal, county or state judge.

[  ]     (b)      a municipal official.             [  ] (c) state level law enforcement.

[  ]     (d)      employer.                             [  ] (e)    municipal law enforcement.

[  ]     (f)       zoning or conservation commission.

[  ]     (g)      municipal building inspector.  [  ] (h)  state tax official.

[  ]     (i)       federal tax official.                 [  ] (j)    county or state prosecutor.

[  ]     (k)      federal prosecutor.                [  ] (l)     state court judge.

[  ]    (m)     attorney conspiring with a judge or a third party to deny rights

[  ]     (n)      other.

 

14.       Please summarize in 3 or 4 short paragraphs what your lawsuit was about.

 

                                                                                                                                               

 

                                                                                                                                              

 

                                                                                                                                               

 

                                                                                                                                              

 

 

 

15.       Did you have a hearing before a federal judge?  [  ]       (Yes)              [  ] (No)  

16.       Did the judge advise you to get a lawyer?    [  ] (Yes)               [  ] (No)

17.       If you proceeded without a lawyer, why did you do that and how did you educate yourself about how to represent yourself in court?

 

 

 

 

 

18.       Did the judge give a written reason why your case was dismissed? If yes, explain.                                                                                                            

 

                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                              

 

 

19.       Did the judge’s explanation use any of these terms:  (please check block(s)

 

[  ]   (a)      collateral estoppel/ issue preclusion        [  ] (b) res judicata.

[  ]   (d)      Younger vs. Harris abstention.          [  ]      (e) Rooker-Feldman doctrine.

[  ]   (f)       qualified immunity.                           [  ]       (f) qualified immunity.

[  ]   (g)      Eleventh amendment.

 

21.       Had you requested a jury trial?    [  ]     (Yes)              [  ] (No)

 

22.       Had you claimed that a judgment in the state court was “Constitutionally infirm,” i.e. a judgment obtained under a cloud of irregularities or otherwise flawed?