Legal Question in Family Law in Illinois
I am a witness in a custody case (17 yr old). Can opposing attorney force me to answer questions about bipolar disorder and a specific manic episode, which I remember almost nothing of, and was missing for 2 days, when awareness came back, I was in house with drugs... suicide attempt, week in ICU and week in psych unit. How much can they ask me about and when should I use the Fifth?
1 Answer from Attorneys
You cannot use the 5th to protect your privacy. You are not being accused of criminal conduct nor does any of the above sound like criminal conduct. Since you are a witness in this case and not a party these incidents can be used to impeach your testimony but you can be ordered to testify to them. OTOH, you should make the attorney for the side you are testifying for aware of your history so that he can try and prevent any testimony concerning these things.