Redirect examination of Michael Baden (part 2) (2 of 2)

📄 Redirect examination of Michael Baden (part 2) (2 of 2) — Tuesday, December 17, 1996

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CIVIL\1996\DEC\17\REDIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-MICHAE.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 33 of 57

◀ Re-redirect examination of Michael Baden (part 2) Courtroom procedures ▶

Witness: Dr. Michael Baden
Examiner: Robert Blasier
Called by: Defense • Date: Tuesday, December 17, 1996 • Utterances: 23

Defense attorney Blasier conducted brief redirect examination of Dr. Baden, focusing on context for his Geraldo show appearance. Baden clarified he hadn't reviewed his materials before the show, hadn't expected to discuss the Simpson case, and walked back his earlier statement about a 'ten-minute period' — explaining he misspoke and that figure referred to the interval between Goldman's neck wound and abdominal stab wound, not the duration Goldman was standing.

# 1

BY MR. BLASIER:

# 2 Q:

Dr. Baden, the Geraldo show, the purpose of that was to promote the HBO special?

# 3 A:

Yes.

# 4 Q:

And when you got on there, you found that Chris Darden was also on the show?

# 5 MR. MEDVENE:

Objection. Outside the scope.

# 6 THE COURT:

I don't have any inclination to allow any examination about anybody else on the show, Mr. Blasier.

# 7 MR. BLASIER:

I think I'm entitled to let him explain.

# 8 THE COURT:

I'm not going to let you. You can ask about what he said; that's it.

# 9 MR. BLASIER:

All right.

# 10 Q:

(BY MR. BLASIER) Dr. Baden, had you reviewed all your materials before you appeared on Geraldo?

# 11 A:

No, I hadn't.

# 12 Q:

And were you -- was it your understanding that you were even going to be asked about the Simpson case?

# 13 A:

I was hoping I wouldn't be asked about it. I was just going to talk about the -- I was hoping only to talk about the HBO program, which was kind of a foolish thought in my mind.

KEY QUOTE

# 14 Q:

And the ten-minute period that you referred to on Geraldo, did you intend that to mean that's how long Mr. Goldman was standing up, or the period -- time period be a neck -- wound in the aorta?

# 15 A:

That's what I said, but I didn't intend it that way. And I don't agree with that.

That -- that's the time period, the five- to ten-minute is the time period between the cut wound to the neck and the stab wound to the belly. How -- and I misspoke. Because how long he was standing, I can't quite tell. I think it was a few minutes. It had to be enough time for the blood to go down to the shoe and during that time -- for some time, he was standing. And I can't be more specific than that.

KEY QUOTE

# 16 Q:

Would you agree that no medical examiner could be so precise to say all this happened, for example, in a minute and 15 seconds precisely?

# 17 MR. MEDVENE:

Outside the scope.

# 18 THE COURT:

Overruled.

# 19 MR. BLASIER:

No further questions.

# 20 A:

I would agree with that.

KEY QUOTE

# 21 MR. BLASIER:

No further questions.

# 22 MR. MEDVENE:

No questions.

# 23 THE COURT:

Your're excused.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (3)

Dr. Michael Baden

I was hoping I wouldn't be asked about it. I was just going to talk about the -- I was hoping only to talk about the HBO program, which was kind of a foolish thought in my mind.

Baden admits he was unprepared and the Geraldo appearance was essentially a mistake, undermining the weight given to his off-the-cuff statements there.

Dr. Michael Baden

That's what I said, but I didn't intend it that way. And I don't agree with that. That -- that's the time period, the five- to ten-minute is the time period between the cut wound to the neck and the stab wound to the belly.

Baden corrects his Geraldo statement about the ten-minute period, clarifying it was about wound sequencing not how long Goldman was upright — a key clarification for the defense timeline.

Dr. Michael Baden

I would agree with that.

Baden concedes no medical examiner can precisely determine timing down to a minute and 15 seconds, undermining prosecution's attempt to pin down a tight murder timeline.

Notable Exchanges (2)

Robert Blasier•Hiroshi Fujisaki

Blasier tried to ask about Chris Darden also being on the Geraldo show; Fujisaki shut it down, limiting examination to what Baden himself said.

procedural

Robert Blasier•Dr. Michael Baden

Blasier elicited Baden's correction of the 'ten-minute' Geraldo statement, clarifying it described wound sequencing interval not standing duration.

strategic

Light Moments (1)

Dr. Michael Baden

Baden self-deprecatingly calls his hope of avoiding Simpson questions on Geraldo 'kind of a foolish thought in my mind.'

Credibility Attacks (1)

⚔ Dr. Michael Baden

prior inconsistent statement

Cross-examination had used Baden's Geraldo statement about a ten-minute period; redirect allowed Baden to clarify he misspoke and explain the correct meaning.

Objections

2 objections (0 sustained, 1 overruled)

Proceeding 8674 • 23 utterances • Defense witness

Civil Trial

Department 103