📄 Cross-examination reserved — Wednesday, January 15, 1997
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CIVIL\1997\JAN\15\CROSS-EXAMINATION-RESERVED.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 42 of 57

Cross-examination reserved

Examiner: Examiner
Date: Wednesday, January 15, 1997 • Utterances: 24
Defense counsel Leonard asks to reserve cross-examination of witness Richards until the next day, pending a Court of Appeals ruling on the admissibility of Flammer photographs. A second dispute erupts over whether plaintiffs can have Richards testify about the Bundy glove — specifically whether a marking on it is a hole or debris — which defense argues is a late-disclosed claim and plaintiffs argue was never raised in discovery. The court denies the reservation request and allows cross-examination to proceed on testimony given so far.
1 (The following proceedings were held in open court outside the presence of the jury.)
2 MR. LEONARD:

Morning, Your Honor. I have just one brief procedural matter. I spoke to brother counsel this morning, and I would like the opportunity to reserve cross-examination until Mr. Richards is returned tomorrow, pending the Court of Appeals' decision, if we get one today. We filed a writ this morning, and the tact that I take on cross-examination, strategy and so forth, will depend on whether or not he's allowed to testify as to the Flammer photographs. There's also another area that I think they want to get into which involves the analysis of a totally different photograph, the Bundy glove, and I would object to any testimony about that.

3 MR. PETROCELLI:

Morning, Your Honor. I don't think he has a right to reserve his cross-examination until tomorrow for tactical reasons. They insisted on bifurcating, so it was at their insistence that the Court ordered that Mr. Richards' examination be split up. We're doing the Groden rebuttal and they need to do the cross-examination on that. Tomorrow we're coming back to do the Flammer issue, and then they can do the cross-examination on that. For tactical reasons, they can't break it up -- they can't make us break up our direct, and yet they can do a single integrated cross-examination for purely tactical reasons, as he just said. I don't think there's any basis for that.

4 MR. LEONARD:

Your Honor, my cross-examination is going to be brief, 45 minutes.

KEY QUOTE
5 THE COURT:

That's brief?

6 MR. LEONARD:

Well, what's a three-hour examination?

KEY QUOTE
7 MR. PETROCELLI:

It's not the length of time.

8 MR. LEONARD:

There is no breaking up.

9 MR. PETROCELLI:

You made us break it up.

10 THE COURT:

What did the other --

11 MR. PETROCELLI:

The other photo, Your Honor, this -- this photo -- Mr. Richards will testify that this is not a hole; this is debris lying on the top of the glove. We let him testify about this at his deposition after court yesterday, so they've examined him on this. I will point out that, in interrogatories, we asked for all facts and evidence that they had in support of a planting theory. They told us nothing about this Bundy glove being planted, in regard to a hole and debris. This is all brand new, Your Honor. We had no opportunity at all to prepare for this new claim, which to this day, I do not understand. But apparently, they want to make it, as you heard Mr. Leonard so boisterously argue earlier in the week. We asked Mr. Richards to take a look at these photos just the other day. He did and he testified about them yesterday. We would like him to testify about that as well, since this is a new claim that they have put into the case after -- after orders of preclusion, as well, that they weren't able to get into any matters outside of what was in the interrogatories. And they did. This is brand new. We had no time, opportunity or ability to prepare. They never made this claim. Despite a year of hotly contested discovery, we learned about it last week. So we would like an opportunity to address it so the jury is not in any way, shape or form misled.

12 MR. BAKER:

Comes ill from the mouth of the plaintiffs to say that it was sprung on them, when they sprang 30 photos on us, and then have their experts fly to Buffalo, and we have no opportunity to review the photos at all; to come in here and say it was sprung on us, and now we should have an opportunity to have an expert testify to that. 2034, specifically, code sections (k) and (l), require them -- what they have to do if they want to amend and enlarge the designation of their expert. They have never done that on either the 30 photos, or this photo, or anything else. We think they ought to be precluded.

KEY QUOTE
13 THE COURT:

When was this photograph, this one with the glove, discovered?

14 MR. BAKER:

Well, they've had it as long as we've had it. Since June 14. It was taken on -- on, I think, June 14, 1994. So they've had it since the inception of the case.

15 MR. PETROCELLI:

The glove photos have been around. But we've asked them for every fact known to mankind on which they intend to assert planting of evidence, in voluminous discovery. We had to go to court three or four times to get orders. In fact, we got the last order from this court on what they could argue and not argue in opening statement. At no time did they tell us that they were going to contend that the Bundy glove was planted. At no time did they say that one glove had a hole in it and the other doesn't. They didn't say any of that, Your Honor. They talked about the Rockingham glove. This is brand new. We learned about this claim when Mr. Leonard stood up in court the other day and said now we have proof. That's what we're.

16 MR. LEONARD:

Submitted.

17 THE COURT:

Okay. You may do that.

18 MR. PETROCELLI:

Thank you.

19 THE COURT:

Bring the jury in.

20 MR. LEONARD:

Your Honor, with regard to the reservation of cross-examination?

21 THE COURT:

You can cross-examine on what he's said so far. (Jurors resume their respective seats.)

22 THE COURT:

Morning. JURORS: Morning, Your Honor.

23 THE COURT:

You may proceed. (Chart displayed on easel.) DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. GELBLUM: (continued)

24 Q:

Morning, Mr. Richards?

Temperature

tense

Key Quotes (5)

MR. LEONARD
my cross-examination is going to be brief, 45 minutes.
Sets up the judge's dry rejoinder.
THE COURT
That's brief?
Rare moment of judicial levity from Fujisaki, underlining how long cross-examinations have run.
MR. LEONARD
Well, what's a three-hour examination?
Implicit reference to the length of prior examinations in the trial.
MR. PETROCELLI
At no time did they tell us that they were going to contend that the Bundy glove was planted. At no time did they say that one glove had a hole in it and the other doesn't.
Core argument that the Bundy glove planting theory is a brand-new claim sprung after discovery closed.
MR. BAKER
Comes ill from the mouth of the plaintiffs to say that it was sprung on them, when they sprang 30 photos on us, and then have their experts fly to Buffalo, and we have no opportunity to review the photos at all.
Defense counter-accusation of reciprocal discovery sandbagging, framing the dispute as mutual.

Evidence (3)

Informal
Flammer photographs — subject of a pending writ to the Court of Appeals over Richards' testimony
discussed, admissibility pending appellate ruling
Informal
Bundy glove photograph (taken June 14, 1994) — plaintiffs contend marking is debris on top of glove, defense contends it shows a hole consistent with planting
disputed; Richards testified about it at deposition, plaintiffs seek to introduce at trial
Informal
30 photographs provided by plaintiffs — referenced by Baker as evidence of plaintiffs' own late disclosure
referenced as counter-example in discovery dispute

Notable Exchanges (2)

MR. PETROCELLIMR. BAKER
Both sides accuse the other of springing new evidence without adequate notice. Petrocelli argues the Bundy glove planting theory was never disclosed in interrogatories; Baker argues plaintiffs sent 30 photos with no warning and flew experts to Buffalo.
heated
MR. LEONARDTHE COURT
Leonard asks to reserve cross until tomorrow pending the appellate ruling; the court denies, ordering cross to proceed on testimony given so far.
strategic

Light Moments (1)

THE COURT
Judge responds to Leonard's claim that 45 minutes is 'brief' with deadpan skepticism: 'That's brief?'

Objections

1 objections (0 sustained, 0 overruled)
Proceeding 8803 • 24 utterances
Civil Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 JAN 15, 1997 📄 Cross-examination reserved
JAN 15, 1997 KRT DvH TD