📄 Motion: work product privilege — Tuesday, August 8, 1995
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\AUG\8\MOTION-WORK-PRODUCT-PRIVILEGE.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 131 of 167

Motion: work product privilege

Date: Tuesday, August 8, 1995 • Utterances: 35
The court addressed a missing voicemail tape potentially relevant to the defense, discussing whether the original digital recording could still be recovered from the voice mail service. Judge Ito also managed scheduling for the following day, directing the prosecution to contact the voice mail service and setting a 1 PM timeline for the defense to call its next witness, with the IAD materiality ruling pending after the defense files its declaration.
1 MR. UELMEN:

Does your Honor wish to hear further argument on the issue?

2 THE COURT:

Yes. And at this point, I think we need to discuss also the 1054.7 issues with regards to this tape. All right. Miss Clark, anything else you want to add to the record with regard to Miss Stockdale?

3 MS. CLARK:

Well, factually speaking, perhaps we need to--we have a conflict here and maybe what we need to do is call Dana Thompson unless--I don't think it matters actually.

4 THE COURT:

Well, the issue was whether or not Miss Stockdale had a copy that was still available. She's indicated that she taped over the tape a number of times. So in all likelihood, it's not recoverable except for perhaps by the NSA, and I don't think they're going to help us with this.

5 MS. CLARK:

I certainly doubt it, your Honor. And that was back in March or April `95 before we could have known.

6 THE COURT:

Right. Now, have you made inquiry of this phone voice mail service whether or not their database still includes this, because you've gotten authorization from her to get the original from the digital format.

7 MS. CLARK:

This is the first we've heard of it. So we will do so.

8 THE COURT:

All right.

9 MS. CLARK:

Does the Court want us to make that effort to get that before we resume with argument on this issue?

10 THE COURT:

The Defense previously under 1054.7 filed affidavits regarding this particular tape. And, Mrs. Robertson, we'll need to get that sealed package. All right. But I do think that you ought to--at this point, I'm going to direct you to contact the voice mail service and see if the database from that date is still available.

11 MS. CLARK:

The People would make a motion then for those 1054.7 materials though to be discovered at this time as well.

12 THE COURT:

All right. I'll take that matter under submission. All right. But I'm going to direct you to contact the voice mail system this afternoon. And Bruce Humiston was the name?

13 MS. CLARK:

Humiston.

14 THE COURT:

Humiston.

15 MS. CLARK:

And then we'll revisit?

16 THE COURT:

We'll see where we are at that point.

17 MR. UELMEN:

The 1054.7 submission, your Honor, was to preserve the Defendant's work product privilege. We don't believe that they're entitled to see that, but the only theory under which there's any duty at all to turn this over would not arise under 1054, but under the Meredith case. And that's whether we have foreclosed access by the Prosecution by taking physical possession of--

KEY QUOTE
18 THE COURT:

Which is why I'm directing--I'm putting them on notice that that exists, that it's still in sealed condition. I'm directing them to go to the original source at this point.

19 MR. UELMEN:

Right.

20 MS. CLARK:

We have no dispute of Meredith controlling on this issue.

21 MR. UELMEN:

Well, we contend Meredith doesn't apply because it's not inculpatory evidence and because we have not foreclosed access. So for both of those reasons.

22 MS. CLARK:

We already framed this for the Court.

23 THE COURT:

It may become a nonissue later today.

KEY QUOTE
24 MS. CLARK:

Yeah.

25 THE COURT:

All right. Anything else we need to wrestle with this afternoon? All right. Then we'll stand in recess until 9 o'clock tomorrow morning with regards to the IAD issue and finding of materiality after the city attorney's office--after the Defense files its declaration of materiality, the Court will hear orally any argument that the city attorney's office has, I'll hear comment from the District Attorney's office as well and then I'll hopefully be able to make a ruling on the prima facie materiality issue at that point.

26 MS. CLARK:

Just as to the IAD?

27 THE COURT:

Right. Well, this is the whole issue though. It's--that's one small part of a larger issue, because I mean, that issue includes, you know, Dr. Rieders, it includes MacDonell, i mean, it's the whole issue of blood on the socks is what the issue is. And then i think the defense should be prepared to go forward with its next witness at 1 o'clock tomorrow afternoon.

28 MR. COCHRAN:

1 o'clock?

29 THE COURT:

1 o'clock tomorrow afternoon.

30 MR. COCHRAN:

We're going to do the best we can. We may not have enough for the entire afternoon.

31 THE COURT:

Well, make your best efforts.

32 MR. COCHRAN:

I will, your Honor.

33 THE COURT:

All right. Anything else?

34 MS. CLARK:

No.

35 THE COURT:

All right. We'll stand in recess. Thank you, counsel.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (4)

Lance A. Ito
in all likelihood, it's not recoverable except for perhaps by the NSA, and I don't think they're going to help us with this.
Dry humor acknowledging the tape is effectively lost; sets the stage for directing parties to the original digital source instead.
Gerald Uelmen
The 1054.7 submission, your Honor, was to preserve the Defendant's work product privilege. We don't believe that they're entitled to see that, but the only theory under which there's any duty at all to turn this over would not arise under 1054, but under the Meredith case.
Frames the defense's legal position: the sealed materials are privileged work product and only the Meredith doctrine could compel disclosure.
Lance A. Ito
It may become a nonissue later today.
Ito signals he expects the voicemail retrieval effort to moot the dispute entirely.
Lance A. Ito
that issue includes, you know, Dr. Rieders, it includes MacDonell, i mean, it's the whole issue of blood on the socks is what the issue is.
Ito explicitly connects the IAD/materiality ruling to the blood-on-socks defense theory, clarifying the stakes of the pending ruling.

Evidence (4)

Informal
Voicemail tape recorded by Stockdale, taped over multiple times and likely unrecoverable in physical form
discussed; Ito directs prosecution to contact voice mail service for original digital copy
Informal
Sealed 1054.7 defense affidavits regarding the voicemail tape (work product)
referenced; prosecution moves for disclosure, Ito takes under submission
Informal
LAPD Internal Affairs Division (IAD) documents — materiality determination pending
discussed; ruling deferred pending defense declaration of materiality
Informal
Blood on socks — referenced as the broader evidentiary issue encompassing Dr. Rieders and MacDonell testimony
discussed in scheduling context

Notable Exchanges (2)

Gerald UelmenMarcia Clark
Uelmen argues Meredith doctrine doesn't apply because the voicemail evidence is not inculpatory and the defense hasn't foreclosed prosecution access; Clark simply says 'We already framed this for the Court,' declining to re-argue.
strategic
Lance A. ItoJohnnie Cochran
Ito tells Cochran the defense must be ready with its next witness at 1 PM the following afternoon; Cochran hedges that they may not have enough witnesses to fill the afternoon.
routine

Light Moments (1)

Lance A. Ito
Ito jokes that the tape is unrecoverable 'except for perhaps by the NSA, and I don't think they're going to help us with this.'

Witness Demeanor

(At 3:55 P.M., an adjournment was taken until, Wednesday, August 9, 1995, 9:00 A.M.)

Objections

None recorded
Proceeding 7236 • 35 utterances
Criminal Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 AUG 8, 1995 📄 Motion: work product privilege
AUG 8, 1995 KRT DvH TD