can I be forced to testify against my mother?
Question Details: My mom was involved in embezzlement charge at the company she worked for. I was a sub contractor that did work for the company. The cops are wanting me to go in and answer questions on my mother.
If you receive a subpoena and if you will not incriminate yourself you can be forced to testify in most jurisdictions. Before you do anything you should get a copy of the police report (your mother should receive a copy) and take it to a lawyer.
Although I do not practice law in the State of West Virginia, here are my initial impressions. First, I need to clarify something VERY important here. Going in to talk to the police to answer questions IS NOT the same thing as testifying. If you go in to speak to the police, you may very well incriminate your mother AND yourself. Let me be clear, you are under NO obligation to go into answer the police's questions, and you certainly should not do so without an attorney present. If you are subsequently arrested, the same rule applies -- you should only answer questions with an attorney present. It is clear that you need to hire a lawyer as soon as possible, before this situation gets alot worse for you and your mother. Good luck.
