Can I refuse to answer questions at a trial I was supeonad for as a witness?
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Can I refuse to answer questions at a trial I was supeonad for as a witness?
I made a police statement when I thought i saw someone in my house. Now I got a supeona and I don’t want to answer questions because when I made the report I was scared and confused. I wish I could retract my statement, is that an option? I don’t even remember what I wrote in the statement and I don’t want to get in trouble if they ask me questions that I don’t remember or am unsure about. Can I get in trouble for being unsure about what happened that day?
Asked on June 1, 2012 under Criminal Law, Michigan
Answers:
Alan Pransky / Law Office of Alan J Pransky
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
Your best course of action is to consult a local attorney. As a witness, you can only refuse to answer questions if they are protected by a privilege. Each state has different laws about privilege. You may be able to refuse to answer questions because of the privilege against self-incrimination or some other privilige. Howver, you need to discuss this in detail with an attorney. This is not the sort of advice that can be given by email.
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