📄 Sidebar: 1985 incident evidence — Monday, November 18, 1996
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C:\DEPT103\CIVIL\1996\NOV\18\SIDEBAR-1985-INCIDENT-EVIDENCE.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 17 of 57

Sidebar: 1985 incident evidence

Date: Monday, November 18, 1996 • Utterances: 11
Defense attorney Robert Baker moved to exclude evidence of a 1984/1985 incident in which OJ Simpson allegedly struck a car windshield with a baseball bat. Baker argued the incident was too remote in time, lacked direct percipient witness knowledge, and that prejudicial effect outweighed probative value. Judge Fujisaki overruled the objection, allowing the evidence in.
1 MR. BAKER:

Your Honor, may we approach? (A bench conference was held, with reporter.)

2 MR. BAKER:

We object to any evidence relative to the 1985/84 incidents as being remote and not involving domestic violence and not likely to lead to any probative evidence, and under 352 the prejudicial value outweighs any probative value.

This is where Mr. Simpson allegedly hit the windshield with a baseball bat of a car owned by him. There was no report made of it until 1989. The incident -- although Fuhrman testified in the criminal trial that the incident couldn't have occurred in '85. And so this was 10 years before any incident and before these murders took place and we think it's remote in time, number one, and time consuming, prejudicial effect outweighs any probative value.

3 MR. PETROCELLI:

Your Honor, this is within ten years of the murders themselves. We believe it demonstrates his propensity and temperament to commit these acts. It demonstrates his rage.

This is one incident. Probably a five-minute witness, Your Honor, in terms of his testimony, so there's no --

KEY QUOTE
4 MR. KELLY:

One other point. Sorry to double team here. I understand your blanket ruling about statements of Nicole Brown Simpson, but this witness -- there's no telling how long after the incident he shows up, and this is a Westec officer at that time. This is simply the report from -- of Nicole, of what she says happened that led to this.

5 MR. BAKER:

This witness, he has no percipient knowledge of what actually occurred, other than he says he saw a windshield broken which is true, but that's it.

I mean, otherwise it's a report from Nicole sometime later that same day. You know, he's going to say that she was crying, but crying doesn't make it an exited utterance as far as I know.

6 MR. KELLY:

He can testify as to her state of mind, not only that she was crying, that she was upset, she seemed frightened, that it had just happened at the time, it was even before the police officers arrived at the scene he summoned as part of his private security for --

7 MR. BAKER:

Keep you voice down.

8 MR. KELLY:

Sorry. Part of the private security shows up there even before the uniformed patrol officers, which -- he will testify to her demeanor, her appearance, the statements she made, what his observations were, and that's it.

9 MR. PETROCELLI:

Under People versus Zack, this is relevant to show the nature of the relationship between the parties.

10 MR. BAKER:

Your Honor, they're showing one incident in 1984, and this is not to show the relationship of the parties, and it's so remote in time that it should be excluded, much less the fact that it isn't an excited utterance, I'll submit.

11 THE COURT:

Okay. Overruled.

Temperature

tense

Key Quotes (4)

Robert Baker
This is where Mr. Simpson allegedly hit the windshield with a baseball bat of a car owned by him. There was no report made of it until 1989.
Baker's core remoteness argument — the incident predated the murders by roughly a decade and wasn't contemporaneously documented.
Daniel Petrocelli
This is within ten years of the murders themselves. We believe it demonstrates his propensity and temperament to commit these acts. It demonstrates his rage.
Plaintiffs' theory of admissibility: pattern of violent behavior toward Nicole.
Robert Baker
crying doesn't make it an exited utterance as far as I know.
Baker challenging the hearsay exception, arguing Nicole's statements to the Westec officer don't qualify as excited utterances.
Hiroshi Fujisaki
Okay. Overruled.
Terse ruling allowing the 1985 incident evidence — typical of Fujisaki's no-nonsense style.

Evidence (2)

Informal
1984/1985 incident where Simpson allegedly struck a car windshield with a baseball bat
challenged for admissibility
Informal
Westec security officer's report and observations of Nicole Brown Simpson at the scene
discussed as foundation for witness testimony

Notable Exchanges (2)

Robert BakerJohn KellyDaniel Petrocelli
Plaintiffs double-teamed the argument — Petrocelli argued propensity/temperament while Kelly addressed the Westec officer's qualifications and Nicole's demeanor as admissible observations.
strategic
Robert BakerJohn Kelly
Baker told Kelly to keep his voice down during the bench conference.
tense

Objections

1 objections (0 sustained, 1 overruled)
Proceeding 8301 • 11 utterances
Civil Trial
Department 103
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📂 NOV 18, 1996 📄 Sidebar: 1985 incident evidenc
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