joel_butler•2d agoProlific Poster

That one hearing in Fresno last Friday went totally sideways

I had a disability case hearing in Fresno last Friday and it was the worst one I've ever been through. The judge was grilling my client about why she didn't see a doctor for 8 months, but she had no insurance and was homeless for part of that time. I tried to explain it but the judge kept cutting me off and asking the same question over and over. Then the vocational expert said there were 12,000 jobs she could do in the region, which felt totally made up. My client started crying on the stand and I could barely get a word in edgewise. I've been doing this for about 6 years now and I've never had a hearing that went that bad. Has anyone else had a judge who just wouldn't listen to the facts?

2 comments

2 Comments

shanem372d ago

My dad had a similar thing happen back in 2017 when he was trying to get his VA benefits sorted out. This judge in Bakersfield just kept asking the same question about a knee injury from 2003, like he wanted my dad to suddenly remember something different. My dad's a stubborn old Marine though, so he just kept saying the same answer over and over, and the judge finally gave up after about 20 minutes of that. Your mileage may vary, but sometimes they just get stuck on one detail and won't let it go.

morgan_bailey932d ago

Started pushing back calmly but FIRMLY each time he repeated himself, saying "I hear your question, but here's the evidence we already submitted on that." Made him actually look at the documents instead of just grilling my client.