📄 Sidebar: drying time — Monday, December 16, 1996
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C:\DEPT103\CIVIL\1996\DEC\16\SIDEBAR-DRYING-TIME.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 32 of 57

Sidebar: drying time

Date: Monday, December 16, 1996 • Utterances: 17
Defense attorney Robert Baker attempted to elicit testimony from an expert witness about blood drying time experiments, but plaintiff's counsel Medvene objected that the same evidence was excluded from the criminal trial due to the expert's inability to replicate comparable test conditions. Judge Fujisaki sustained the objection but allowed the witness to testify generally about how long blood takes to dry, barring testimony about this specific material.
1 MR. MEDVENE:

Objection. May we approach?

2 MR. PETROCELLI:

Same problem, Your Honor.

3 THE COURT:

You may.

4 (The following proceedings were held at the bench, with the reporter.)
5 MR. MEDVENE:

If the Court please, this was in order -- this particular evidence was offered at the criminal trial; that is, any test he did, it was kept out because of no preliminary showing of comparable circumstances of tests.

In other words, the witness said he was not able to duplicate the kind of fabric on the test; he did it -- he was not able to duplicate the amount of blood put on the fabric; he was not able to duplicate the temperature and humidity. And it was kept out previously because of the lack of any showing that the drying time he measured had anything to do with how the -- Mr. Simpson's sock would dry because of his inability to use the same sock or with the same amount of blood.

So we think there should be some preliminary showing by Mr. Baker that that is sufficient to allow this witness to testify to drying time.

6 MR. BAKER:

Well, Your Honor, I think under the Culpepper case, we're entitled to show that, first of all, I'll certainly voir dire his amount of expertise in drying time and what experiment he's done. But relative to his experience, we'll lay a foundation. And -- but that was testified to in the -- in the criminal trial.

7 MR. PETROCELLI:

The answer was stricken in the criminal trial. He just showed it to me.

KEY QUOTE
8 THE COURT:

Okay. Sustained.

9 MR. BAKER:

You're not going to let me voir dire him on that issue?

10 THE COURT:

What are you going to ask?

11 MR. BAKER:

Let me ask -- I'm going to ask him about his experiment and what he has done, and what he has done relative to drying times. I mean, this -- we are entitled to rebut, I think, Bodziak. We're entitled to rebut Werner Spitz. And this is all testimony that this jury should hear relative to rebut their testimony concerning the -- the --

Can you not whisper so loud, so I can --

12 MR. PETROCELLI:

I'm sorry.

13 MR. BAKER:

-- so we are entitled to put on our evidence relative to rebutting that testimony. And we're certainly entitled, in my view, to put on testimony relative to this drying time. This guy is probably the foremost expert on drying times, done more experiments on blood than anybody in the world.

14 THE COURT:

I think he can testify as to how long blood takes to dry, but that's about it. I don't think he can testify about this particular material.

KEY QUOTE
15 MR. BAKER:

Well, all right.

16 THE COURT:

Okay.

17 (The following proceedings were held in open court, in the presence of the jury.)

Temperature

tense

Key Quotes (4)

Edward Medvene
he was not able to duplicate the kind of fabric on the test; he did it -- he was not able to duplicate the amount of blood put on the fabric; he was not able to duplicate the temperature and humidity
Lays out the foundational deficiencies that got this evidence excluded in the criminal trial, arguing the same bar should apply here
Robert Baker
This guy is probably the foremost expert on drying times, done more experiments on blood than anybody in the world.
Baker vouches for the witness's credentials to try to overcome the foundational objection
Hiroshi Fujisaki
I think he can testify as to how long blood takes to dry, but that's about it. I don't think he can testify about this particular material.
The ruling — a partial win for each side, limiting but not fully excluding the testimony
Daniel Petrocelli
The answer was stricken in the criminal trial. He just showed it to me.
Petrocelli undercuts Baker's argument that the testimony was admitted at the criminal trial

Evidence (2)

Informal
Blood drying time experiments conducted by defense expert witness
challenged on foundational grounds; partially excluded
Informal
Criminal trial record showing the drying time testimony was stricken
cited by Petrocelli to support exclusion

Notable Exchanges (2)

Robert BakerDaniel Petrocelli
Baker tries to argue the testimony was presented in the criminal trial; Petrocelli immediately counters that the answer was actually stricken, apparently showing Baker the record on the spot
strategic
Robert BakerDaniel Petrocelli
Baker asks Petrocelli to stop whispering so loudly while Baker is trying to argue to the judge
testy

Light Moments (1)

Robert Baker
Baker interrupts his own legal argument to tell Petrocelli to stop whispering so loud, then resumes his argument mid-sentence

Objections

1 objections (1 sustained, 0 overruled)
Proceeding 8651 • 17 utterances
Civil Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 DEC 16, 1996 📄 Sidebar: drying time
DEC 16, 1996 KRT DvH TD