Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Legal Costs Mount For Bay Area Man Sued By Home Intruder He Shot
KPIX News ^ | March 9, 2016 | Mark Kelly

Posted on 03/12/2016 2:34:07 PM PST by skyman

FOSTER CITY (KPIX 5) – A Bay Area man said he is struggling to pay his legal fees after a home intruder he shot filed a lawsuit against him.

Joe Balistreri could hardly believe an intruder sued him for negligent use of a handgun. “That is my biggest issue, our judicial system allows these people to have the right to try to sue,” he told KPIX 5.

Balistreri said he was merely protecting his family. “I had no choice given the circumstances,” he said.

On March 24, 2012, his family was spending the night at his parents’ home in Foster City. At 4:15 a.m., a noise woke him up.

“I heard the noise coming from the front door. I heard clicking, rattling of the door handle,” he recalled. “I woke up my father, told him someone’s trying to break into your house, where’s your gun?”

Balistreri said the intruder did not stop at the front door. He jumped the fence, made his way around the back of the house, through a side door and into the garage, left unlocked.

“This guy is now in my house,” he recalled.

In the dark home, Balistreri came face-to-face with the 6’4” intruder and fired three shots.

But here’s the catch, the plaintiff said he was intoxicated and thought he was walking into his friend’s house.

“There was no knocking, there was no announcement, there was no nothing,” Balistreri said.

Months after the incident, there was a civil suit.

In the end, the judge sided with Balistreri. With mounting legal fees, he launched a GoFundMe account in hopes of once and for all paying off his debt and putting that horrific night behind him.

“This guy put a huge burden on my shoulders,” Balistreri said.

Prosecutors didn’t file charges in the case. Since the shooting happened at Balistreri’s parents’ house, their homeowner’s insurance covered only their legal fees, not his.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: 2ndamend; crime
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-50 last
To: skyman

Burden is not on the homeowner to know what is in the intruders mind.

Never has been. It is what the homeowner believes to be going on, and the responses he gets, if any, from the intruder.

Burden on the jackass to make sure it is the right house. If that was what actually was going on, to which I have doubt.


41 posted on 03/12/2016 5:08:56 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PAR35

You are probably right.


42 posted on 03/12/2016 5:20:09 PM PST by umgud
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: Farmer Dean

Double-tap?


43 posted on 03/12/2016 5:37:44 PM PST by Crucial (At the heart all leftists is the fear that the truth is bigger than themselves.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Labyrinthos

The rule in California is if you shoot him make sure he is dead and has a knife in his hand. No witness and clearly self defense.


44 posted on 03/12/2016 5:38:20 PM PST by Mastador1 (I'll take a bad dog over a good politician any day!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: skyman

If not for the lawsuit, I’d feel sorry for a poor, drunk, moron getting shot when he didn’t even know he was in the wrong house (if that’s true, and I’m not confident it is). With the lawsuit, I wish he’d been killed, even if he really was just drunk. I despise frivolous lawsuits, and breaking into a home makes any subsequent lawsuit frivolous.


45 posted on 03/12/2016 5:48:48 PM PST by Pollster1 ("A Bill of Rights that means what the majority wants it to meand over an is worthless." - Scalia)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: skyman

He should counter sue for trespassing, aggravation, making him fear for his life etc.


46 posted on 03/12/2016 7:59:46 PM PST by make no mistake
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Clintonfatigued

Government protecting its peeps


47 posted on 03/13/2016 4:33:02 AM PDT by ronnie raygun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: skyman

Know what’s crazy?

Also in Foster City this same thing almost happened to my friend: he was drunk and trying to get in my home and instead tried to break into my neighbor’s home, which was identical. They were condos. Understandable.

Years later in Houston a guy tried for several minutes to jiggle my apartment’s doorknob. I just stood there with my gun, looking thru the viewhole. He did not behave like a criminal, and expressed frustration that my door was not opening.

He thought it was HIS door.


48 posted on 03/13/2016 9:39:35 PM PDT by T-Bone Texan (Don't be a lone wolf. Form up small leaderlesss cells ASAP !)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PAR35

you ass

shut your pie hole


49 posted on 03/16/2016 10:01:29 AM PDT by Mr. K (Trump/Cruz 2016)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]

To: Mr. K

My, you are really on top of things. Took you a couple of days to come up with that erudite comment. Been busy redistributing other people’s money?


50 posted on 03/16/2016 10:34:45 AM PDT by PAR35
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-50 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson