Attacked With a Knife...

by Boyfriend
(Montana)

My girlfriend was attacked by her sister's husband with a knife and had to receive stitches at the hospital. This took place at the home where her sister and brother-in-law live. They reside in the house free of charge due to the generosity of the home owner.

The hospital called the police when she explained what had occurred. When the police arrived at the hospital they were informed what had happened. My girlfriend told the police she did not want to press charges (unbelievable to me). To my amazement the police responded, "then I guess we act like this never happened". My questions are:

1. Are the police at fault in some manner?

2. Who is responsible for the emergency room/hospital bill?

I guess without court action, my girlfriend will be responsible for the bill. Her sister stated that they will pay the bill, but neither one works and just knowing these two a little, I'm certain that they will not pay the bill.

My girlfriend is in between jobs and likely not to find employment this time of year in this small town in southwestern Montana. That being said I guess the hospital will probably take out a judgement against her. So we are adding insult to injury here. What are the options? Thank you.

Disclaimer: Information provided in your response is not formal legal advice, it is generic legal information and is based on the very limited information given in your question. You should always get a formal case evaluation from a licensed attorney.

ANSWER for "Attacked With a Knife...":

Boyfriend (Montana):

Your girlfriend's sister's husband is liable for the injuries he inflicted upon her. With or without an arrest, if there were witnesses to the assault those witnesses will be able to testify on behalf of your girlfriend.

He is ultimately responsible for your girlfriend's medical bills. It would have been much better if there was a police report, and it sounds awfully strange one wasn't made. In the State of Montana if the police are dispatched to the scene of a reported domestic assault and upon responding are convinced domestic abuse occurred, they are supposed to make an arrest of the person they believe committed the assault.

If your girlfriend decides to file a lawsuit to recover the amount of her medical bills or more she can always subpoena the police to testify. They won't like it but they won't have any choice.

Another problem you may have is with the "liquidity" of the husband. That is, the amount of assets he has, including cash, stocks, bonds, or real estate. If he doesn't have much worth, all you might be able to do is secure a "paper judgment". That wouldn't be worth much more than the paper it's written on.

Since laws change frequently and across jurisdictions you should get a personalized case evaluation from an attorney licensed in your state (if you haven't already). Find an experienced local attorney to give you a FREE personalized case review here.


Best of luck,

Law Guy


----------------

Attorney Directory:
Alabama	Louisiana	Ohio
Alaska	Maine	Oklahoma
Arizona	Maryland	Oregon
Arkansas	Massachusetts	Pennsylvania
California	Michigan	Rhode Island
Colorado	Minnesota	South Carolina
Conn.	Mississippi	South Dakota
Delaware	Missouri	Tennessee
Florida	Montana	Texas
Georgia	Nebraska	Utah
Hawaii	Nevada	Vermont
Idaho	New Hampshire	Virginia
Illinois	New Jersey	Washington
Indiana	New Mexico	Wash.  DC
Iowa	New York	West Virginia
Kansas	North Carolina	Wisconsin
Kentucky	North Dakota	Wyoming