How Much Does a John Doe Lawsuit Cost? The Cost to Sue an Unknown Defendant
Aaron Minc is a nationally recognized leader in the specialized area of Internet defamation and is known as the go-to attorney for the most malicious Internet defamation crises.
Have you or your business been anonymously attacked or defamed online and are considering filing a lawsuit? The anonymity of the internet makes it possible for people to attack or harass an individual or business online and then disappear. Or does it?
If you are the target of anonymous defamatory online reviews, cyberstalking, online extortion or sextortion, or other forms of internet harassment, a John Doe lawsuit may help you identify the anonymous person behind it and put an end to the abuse.
Costs are the number one question that we receive from potential clients when it comes to pursuing a lawsuit to identify anonymous online perpetrators and stop online abuse. At Minc Law, we have litigated hundreds of internet-related cases in over 25 states and 3 countries, so we know what contributes to the cost of a John Doe lawsuit (in any jurisdiction).
Filing a John Doe lawsuit involves a number of steps, and there are respective costs associated with each one. If you choose to pursue a John Doe lawsuit, your costs will depend on a variety of factors, including:
- The platform(s) where the online harassment and internet attacks occurred, or where the defamatory and damaging content was posted (Yelp, Google, Ripoff Report, etc.);
- How much damaging content is published online;
- How many legal claims you want to pursue;
- How urgently you want the harassment to stop or need the damaging content removed;
- Where you file your lawsuit;
- The costs associated with identifying the anonymous perpetrator.
This post covers what John Doe lawsuits are and the process for filing one. It also gives a detailed overview of the three kinds of costs involved: content-based costs, legal costs, and case-related costs.
Contents
- What is a John Doe Lawsuit?
- Process of a John Doe Lawsuit
- Average Cost of Suing an Anonymous Party
- How Much Do John Doe Lawsuits at Minc Law Cost?
- How Do You Know When Filing a John Doe Lawsuit is the Right Course of Action?
- Work With Minc Law to Protect Your Online Reputation
What is a John Doe Lawsuit?
A John Doe lawsuit is any case in which the person filing the suit (the plaintiff) does not know the identity of the defendant or thinks they might be able to identify other defendants later on. You might also hear this type of lawsuit described as a “fictitious defendant” or “unknown defendant” suit.
Filing a John Doe lawsuit accomplishes two primary goals:
- Gets your claim filed within the statute of limitations, and
- Initiates the discovery process so that you can subpoena online platforms and internet service providers (ISPs), and (hopefully) identify the anonymous perpetrator.
There are a few different circumstances in which someone might need to file this type of case. For example, you may choose to file a John Doe lawsuit in cases where an unknown person carries out defamatory and malicious attacks on the internet. Common types of internet attacks include: posting fake online reviews, lodging baseless social media allegations, cyberstalking and online extortion, and other forms of internet harassment.
A pedestrian struck by a hit-and-run driver who struck them may also file a John Doe personal injury lawsuit to conduct an investigation to uncover the driver’s identity.
If you would like to find out more about the process of dealing with or creating a John Doe lawsuit, read our article in its entirety at https://www.minclaw.com/john-doe-lawsuit-cost-sue-unknown-defendant/.