Hacker News Reader

Why would they spend money on a frivolous case they have no chance of winning? Lawyers, dragon or no, are expensive, and people in prison don't exactly make money. Conversely, abuse of prisoners is endemic in America. I find this all extremely plausible.

View on HN

> Why would they spend money on a frivolous case they have no chance of winning?

We’re assuming the defendant is without means. If I were in jail, I’d probably spend a decent amount of my spare time filing this sort of thing. If it were hopeless, I could also see myself just trolling. What else will I spend my money on?

I think contingencies are common in cases like this? The lawyer gets paid iff their client wins.

In that case, you not only have to convince a judge that your case has merit, you also need to convince the lawyer.

They aren't going to work on contingency if they think your case is frivolous.

Agreed...and if they think there is a chance of winning they are going to work on the case. That seems obvious? I think you always need to convince a judge your case has merit, right? Or else they just 12b6 you or whatever the equivalent is...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com