Would you side with your family or the law?

[ohko]

Too many cookies = diabetes.

Your father is a low-key criminal. Specifically, in the 1990s, he made a living out of bootlegging all sorts of various stuff (e.g. music, DVDs, movies) by acquiring stuff in China and then bringing them overseas to sell in Chinatowns. He also traffics in a variety of other things and almost anything that he can fit into a suitcase. This includes agricultural products (seeds for banned plants), traditional Chinese medicine drugs (including poppy-like substances), counterfeit jewelry, fake ID documents, and other stuff. Of course, he never declares customs.​

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One day he gets caught and is summoned to court. He is mostly dinged on the agricultural products (the other stuff was overlooked).​

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Your father (and his lawyer) have this defense that your father wasn't aware that he was carrying the seeds, and instead it ended up in the luggage accidentally. Since you were also in China at the same time, your father would like to call you as the primary witness. Your father would like you to testify about a made-up story about how a nice farmer who gave you a ride to the airport; he was so nice and gave you seeds (a snack) as a souvenir. Since you are a minor (~15 years old), you can't be faulted. Therefore the entire case can be dismissed.​

What would you do? Are there certain different situations that you would side with your family (or the law)?

 

[Vaerama]

My family?

Hang em high.

Fictional nice family where everyone in it is perpetually amazing and wonderful and just the very best family ever?

Perjury it is.

 

[Enigma]

I'd probably side with my family in that case maybe. Alot of other things I probably wouldn't.

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

Too many cookies = diabetes.

Your father is a low-key criminal. Specifically, in the 1990s, he made a living out of bootlegging all sorts of various stuff (e.g. music, DVDs, movies) by acquiring stuff in China and then bringing them overseas to sell in Chinatowns. He also traffics in a variety of other things and almost anything that he can fit into a suitcase. This includes agricultural products (seeds for banned plants), traditional Chinese medicine drugs (including poppy-like substances), counterfeit jewelry, fake ID documents, and other stuff. Of course, he never declares customs.​

​

One day he gets caught and is summoned to court. He is mostly dinged on the agricultural products (the other stuff was overlooked).​

​

Your father (and his lawyer) have this defense that your father wasn't aware that he was carrying the seeds, and instead it ended up in the luggage accidentally. Since you were also in China at the same time, your father would like to call you as the primary witness. Your father would like you to testify about a made-up story about how a nice farmer who gave you a ride to the airport; he was so nice and gave you seeds (a snack) as a souvenir. Since you are a minor (~15 years old), you can't be faulted. Therefore the entire case can be dismissed.​

What would you do? Are there certain different situations that you would side with your family (or the law)?

Can relatives even testify in the US? I always suspected that you are jurisdictionally a banana republic, but this?

 

[ohko]

Can relatives even testify in the US? I always suspected that you are jurisdictionally a banana republic, but this?

I know nothing about the law and my scenarios are all made up, despite how suspicious or vivid they might sound

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

I know nothing about the law and my scenarios are all made up, despite how suspicious or vivid they might sound

The issue is that testimonies by relatives are generally unusable before court as their independence is dubious. Regardless of whether they are negative or positive.

 

[AliceShiki]

I wouldn't testify for anything unless the court directly summoned me.

And if the court directly summoned me, I'd just say I never paid any attention to what my father sold because it didn't interest me.

As in, I wouldn't side against him, but I would not lie on his behalf either. I'd let the justice system do its thing without me.