How to File a Lawsuit

The Supreme Court of LibertyCraft is open for cases. If you've been wronged, witnessed a crime, or need justice served, you have the right to take it to court. This guide walks you through filing a lawsuit the right way so your case actually gets heard.

Before You File

Ask yourself these questions first — most dismissed cases fail here:

Did the incident actually break a server rule or law? Check the Server Rules page first.
Do you have real, unaltered evidence? Screenshots, video clips, chat logs, or witness statements.
Are you the affected party or a direct witness? If not, you generally shouldn't be the one filing.
Have you tried resolving it informally? Small disputes can often be settled by a mod without a full court case.

If you can answer "yes" to the first three, you're ready to file.

Where to File

All lawsuits are filed in the Discord channel:

⚖️-lawsuits

Do not file lawsuits in general chat, DMs, or in-game. Cases filed outside the proper channel will not be reviewed.

The Filing Format

Create a new post in ⚖️-lawsuits using this exact title format:

Lawsuit — [Your Name] vs [Defendant Name]

Example:

Lawsuit — Dmorgs81 vs STNPlayz

What to include in the post body

Plaintiff — Your in-game username.
Defendant — The username of the player you're filing against.
Date & Time of the incident (server time if possible).
Location — Coordinates or named landmark where it happened.
Charge / Claim — What rule or law was broken (e.g. griefing, theft, unprovoked PvP outside the Coliseum, contract violation).
Summary — A clear, factual description of what happened. Keep it short and stick to the facts.
Evidence — Attach screenshots, video links, chat logs, or witness names directly to the post.
Requested Outcome — What you're asking the court for (fine, jail time, restitution, injunction, etc.).

After You File

A Justice will review your case and either accept it or dismiss it.
If accepted, a court date will be scheduled and posted in the channel.
Both parties are expected to attend. If the defendant fails to appear, the court may rule by default.
Verdicts are final unless successfully appealed. Penalties are enforced by Police, the Jail System, and /fine.

Court Rules

These are non-negotiable. Breaking them can get your case dismissed and land you in trouble:

Evidence must be real and unaltered. Edited screenshots = instant dismissal and possible punishment.
False or frivolous lawsuits will be dismissed and the filer may be fined or jailed for wasting the court's time.
Do not post in someone else's case unless you are the plaintiff, defendant, a named witness, or a court official.
Be respectful in court. Insulting the judge, jury, or opposing party can result in contempt charges.
Full court guidelines are pinned in the ⚖️-lawsuits channel — read them before filing.

Tips for Winning Your Case

Timestamp everything. Date-stamped screenshots are far stronger than "trust me bro."
Get witnesses. Other players who saw the incident can submit statements.
Stay calm and factual. Emotional rants weaken your credibility. Let the evidence speak.
Cite the law. If you can point to the exact rule or statute that was broken, judges take you more seriously. Use /laws lookup in-game.
Don't exaggerate. If even one part of your story is provably false, your whole case loses credibility.

What If I'm the Defendant?

Show up to your court date. Not attending almost always means losing by default.
Prepare your own evidence. Counter-screenshots, alibis, witnesses — bring everything.
Stay civil. Attacking the plaintiff personally hurts your defense.
You have the right to request a different judge if you believe there is a clear conflict of interest.

The law is real here. Use it wisely. 🦅

See also: Server Rules · Server Roles & Ranks · Update Log