📄 Sidebar: scope of questioning — Wednesday, April 26, 1995
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\APR\26\SIDEBAR-SCOPE-OF-QUESTIONING.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 62 of 167

Sidebar: scope of questioning

Date: Wednesday, April 26, 1995 • Utterances: 52
The prosecution and defense argue over whether defense questioning about 'items 15 and 16' being placed in a plastic bag opened the door to the prosecution physically describing those items (apparently an airline ticket and baggage claim). Judge Ito defers ruling until the items can be produced and inspected the next morning. The sidebar also includes a complaint from Neufeld that Marcia Clark was visibly giggling during his questioning, and a concern from Cochran about juror 2179 appearing distracted and disengaged.
1 (The following proceedings were held at the bench:)
2 THE COURT:

All right. Over at the side bar. Mr. Goldberg.

3 MR. GOLDBERG:

Your Honor, on cross-examination counsel elicited that 15 and 16 went into the plastic bag which I think went beyond a little bit where previously rulings had left us. I think now there is some relevance, obvious relevance to having at least a generic description of 15 and 16, but are they metal, are they paper, what general size are they, how much do they weigh. And that is what I would like to do with this witness.

4 THE COURT:

Mr. Neufeld, what is the Defense position?

5 MR. NEUFELD:

Your Honor, I don't believe I went beyond the limitation. It was simply a question of showing that 15 and 16 were put in the bag, and our suggestion is that it was either 15 and 16 may have been put in the bag and the numbers may have been put in the bag, but that doesn't mean that the bag was used for the blood vial. And it was limited for that purpose. I don't believe we have opened the door for them to go beyond any further description of 15 and 16.

6 (Discussion held off the record between the Deputy District Attorneys.)
7 (Discussion held off the record between Defense counsel.)
8 MR. GOLDBERG:

Well, the relevance is that now we have to show that the appearance and weight of the bag is inconsistent with only containing 15 and 16. I mean, if an item of evidence is truly suppressed, it is gone. You don't allude to it and say, well, there is an item 15 and 16. We are not going to tell you what it is, but it exits itself. We collected from it here and there and we won't tell you what it is.

9 MR. NEUFELD:

You brought it in.

10 THE COURT:

Wait, wait, wait.

11 MR. GOLDBERG:

He put it in the bag.

12 THE COURT:

Back then they offered to stipulate and let the stuff in and you declined to stipulate. Is there a reason for that? Knowing all the issues that are involved in this case, is there a reason, other than just to be spiteful to each other?

KEY QUOTE
13 MS. CLARK:

May I address the that issue, your Honor?

14 THE COURT:

No.

15 MR. GOLDBERG:

The reason, more than not stipulating to it at that point in time, was that our position was that, as your Honor knows, and I hate to go over old ground, that I had--I had mistakenly elicited this information, it was in violation of agreement--

16 THE COURT:

Uh-huh.

17 MR. GOLDBERG:

--not to do so, it should not have been done, but that there was no prejudice. And your Honor, I know the Court disagrees with us, but respectfully, it was our position that the sanction that we were given was not appropriate, in light of the lack of prejudice, and we wanted to have that sanction removed.

18 THE COURT:

So what you are asking for at this point is the opportunity to physically describe what it is, that it is a piece of thin cardboard. Let's see. We are talking about an airline ticket and a baggage--

19 MR. GOLDBERG:

Baggage.

20 MR. NEUFELD:

We haven't seen it, your Honor. I think before she even does that, at least they should be produced.

21 THE COURT:

I agree. Let's see them.

22 MR. GOLDBERG:

We did have them down here and I sent them back to SID not too long ago.

23 THE COURT:

We've got about twenty minutes left in the Court day. Let's see them tomorrow morning first thing.

24 MR. NEUFELD:

Your Honor--

25 THE COURT:

Also let me ask another question. When are we going to see these items that we are expecting?

26 MR. GOLDBERG:

Your Honor, I spoke to Mr. Matheson during the noon break and he told me that he has two criminalists that are assigned to working on this project.

27 THE COURT:

Okay.

28 MR. GOLDBERG:

They were pulled off a project where the LAPD was asked to get test results on a child molest Defendant.

29 THE COURT:

That is not my question.

30 MR. GOLDBERG:

I'm just telling the Court that so your Honor knows we are not delaying and we are--

31 THE COURT:

Mr. Goldberg, that is not my question. My question is what is the ETA?

32 MR. GOLDBERG:

He said that he did not believe that we could get it this afternoon.

33 MR. NEUFELD:

Can I--

34 THE COURT:

First thing-- off the record.

35 (Discussion held off the record.)
36 THE COURT:

Back on the record. All right. The ETA then, that should work out. When tomorrow?

37 MR. GOLDBERG:

I didn't ask them that, but I was assuming he was talking about morning.

38 THE COURT:

I'm assuming that they can get the stuff here 8:30 tomorrow morning.

39 MR. NEUFELD:

In fact, I would like to have that 25 minutes so I can request we don't waste any of the Court's time and the jury's time between 8:30 and 9:00 A.M.

40 THE COURT:

That is why I'm suggesting 8:30.

41 MR. NEUFELD:

Great.

42 THE COURT:

When we conclude, we will do that. I agree with you, you may be entitled to go into the dimensions, the weight, the material. Let's see what they are. So let's finish up the twenty minutes.

43 MR. NEUFELD:

Your Honor, one other item. Several times when I was asked--I walked up there while Mr. Goldberg was asking questions of the witness on redirect when Marcia Clark was standing next to him and she was giggling and laughing, and she was doing that visibly repeatedly.

44 THE COURT:

Keep your voice down.

45 MR. NEUFELD:

She was doing it repeatedly while I was asking questions.

46 THE COURT:

If you will give me--I did not observe anything like that. In fact, I've observed that Miss Clark appears to me to be under the weather today and so I didn't observe that, but if you will bring my attention to it or wave at me, I will be happy to look over that way.

47 MS. CLARK:

May I indicate to the Court that this did not happen. Mr. Neufeld is on some other planet. Mr. Goldberg turned to look at me quizzically and suppose it was into his ear that I was giggling and laughing. He didn't remember seeing this obviously.

48 THE COURT:

Miss Clark, I didn't see anything, and counsel, I would like to spend the rest of the twenty minutes we have left in the Court day asking questions.

49 MR. COCHRAN:

I agree with that, your Honor. Just I am noticing 2179. She seems like more preoccupied.

50 THE COURT:

I have been watching her.

51 MR. COCHRAN:

She told us earlier--she doesn't seem like she is the same, and I just wanted to point out to you, she seems like looking--just looking ahead and hasn't taken any notes all day and preoccupied.

52 THE COURT:

I have been watching.

Temperature

tense

Key Quotes (4)

Lance A. Ito
Back then they offered to stipulate and let the stuff in and you declined to stipulate. Is there a reason for that? Knowing all the issues that are involved in this case, is there a reason, other than just to be spiteful to each other?
Ito cuts through the procedural posturing to call out what looks like mutual obstruction rather than legitimate advocacy.
Hank Goldberg
If an item of evidence is truly suppressed, it is gone. You don't allude to it and say, well, there is an item 15 and 16. We are not going to tell you what it is, but it exits itself.
Goldberg's core argument that defense can't reference suppressed items obliquely without opening the door to full description.
Marcia Clark
Mr. Neufeld is on some other planet.
Sharp denial of the giggling allegation, delivered with characteristic Clark directness.
Johnnie Cochran
She seems like more preoccupied. She told us earlier--she doesn't seem like she is the same, and I just wanted to point out to you, she seems like looking--just looking ahead and hasn't taken any notes all day.
Defense flags a potentially disengaged juror (2179) to the judge, a subtle but important jury-management move.

Evidence (2)

Informal
Items 15 and 16 — identified by Ito as an airline ticket and baggage claim — placed in a plastic bag
Disputed; defense referenced their placement in the bag on cross; prosecution seeks to physically describe them; Ito orders them produced for inspection next morning
Informal
Plastic bag alleged to have contained the blood vial as well as items 15 and 16
Central to dispute — prosecution argues bag's size/weight would be inconsistent with only holding 15 and 16 if blood vial is excluded

Notable Exchanges (3)

Peter NeufeldMarcia ClarkLance A. Ito
Neufeld accuses Clark of repeatedly giggling and laughing visibly while he was questioning the witness. Clark flatly denies it and says Neufeld is imagining things. Ito says he didn't observe it but asks to be flagged if it happens again.
heated
Hank GoldbergLance A. Ito
Ito presses Goldberg for an ETA on expected items, cutting off Goldberg's explanation about criminalists being pulled from another case. Ito repeatedly redirects: 'That is not my question.'
impatient
Johnnie CochranLance A. Ito
Cochran quietly flags to Ito that juror 2179 seems preoccupied, not taking notes, and not engaged. Ito indicates he has already been watching her.
strategic

Light Moments (1)

Lance A. Ito
Ito asks if there's any reason the parties couldn't stipulate, 'other than just to be spiteful to each other' — a dry indictment of both sides' gamesmanship.

Objections

None recorded
Proceeding 5815 • 52 utterances
Criminal Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 APR 26, 1995 📄 Sidebar: scope of questioning
APR 26, 1995 KRT DvH TD