Redirect examination of Mark Partridge

📄 Redirect examination of Mark Partridge — Thursday, July 13, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\JUL\13\REDIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-MARK-P.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 114 of 167

◀ Cross-examination of Mark Partridge (part 2) Recross-examination of Mark Partridge ▶

Witness: Mark Partridge
Examiner: Johnnie Cochran
Called by: Defense • Date: Thursday, July 13, 1995 • Utterances: 42

Cochran rehabilitates Mark Partridge, a trademark/copyright lawyer who sat next to OJ Simpson on a flight from Chicago to Los Angeles on June 13, 1994. Cochran uses Partridge's own legal expertise to explain why he copyrighted his handwritten notes, reframing the prosecution's implication of profit-seeking as professional instinct for control. He closes by establishing Partridge's unique position as the sole witness to that specific seat on that specific flight.

# 1 THE COURT:

Mr. Cochran.

REDIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. COCHRAN

# 2 MR. COCHRAN:

Now--

# 3 MR. COCHRAN:

May I approach, your Honor, Mr. Partridge?

# 4 THE COURT:

Yes, you may.

# 5 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Mr. Partridge, I would like to approach and I'd like to show you the eight pages of the handwritten notes that you made on June 15th, 1994, and I would like to ask you whether or not those notes reflect your handwriting.

# 6 MR. PARTRIDGE:

Yes, they do.

# 7 MR. COCHRAN:

# 8 MR. PARTRIDGE:

My intent was to prevent other people from copying these notes without my permission. I was sending them off to people and I didn't want them released to the media or anyone else without my consent.

KEY QUOTE

# 9 MR. COCHRAN:

And as a trademark or copyright lawyer, you knew how to protect those particular notes; isn't that correct?

# 10 MR. PARTRIDGE:

This is one of the things that one can do.

# 11 MR. COCHRAN:

All right.

# 12 MR. PARTRIDGE:

And that's why I did it.

# 13 MR. COCHRAN:

And you've never tried to sell those notes, have you?

# 14 MR. PARTRIDGE:

No.

# 15 MR. COCHRAN:

In fact, you were one of the few people in this case who's tried to protect their notes; isn't that--

# 16 MS. CLARK:

Objection.

# 17 MR. COCHRAN:

That's correct. Let me rephrase that.

# 18 MR. COCHRAN:

In fact, as a trademark copyright lawyer, you knew how to protect those notes, right?

# 19 MR. PARTRIDGE:

I knew this was one thing I could do to try to prevent them from being copied without my consent.

# 20 MR. COCHRAN:

And although you had occasion to send these notes to Detective Croxley I think you said in December of 1994, you had called the Prosecution in this case first; isn't that correct?

# 21 MR. PARTRIDGE:

I'd called the police first.

# 22 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. The police agencies.

# 23 MR. PARTRIDGE:

Yes.

# 24 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Now, a few other questions if I might. Are you aware that the person Skip Taft that Miss Clark was asking about is Mr. Simpson's long-time friend and business lawyer of 20 plus years? Are you aware of that?

# 25 MR. PARTRIDGE:

I was not aware of that.

# 26 MR. COCHRAN:

You're still not aware of that, are you?

# 27 MR. PARTRIDGE:

No.

# 28 MR. COCHRAN:

Are you aware that they share office space together?

# 29 MR. PARTRIDGE:

No.

# 30 MR. COCHRAN:

Are you aware they own property together?

# 31 MR. PARTRIDGE:

No.

# 32 MR. COCHRAN:

Now, Miss Clark, in response to the fact that you called the Santa Monica Police Department on the Friday after your flight and then you then were directed to the L.A. Police Department, asked you some questions about whether you knew how many people might be interviewed by the Los Angeles Police Department. Remember those questions?

# 33 MR. PARTRIDGE:

Yes.

# 34 MR. COCHRAN:

Suppose that with regard to all of the people who were interviewed by the Los Angeles Police Department, you were the only person in the world who sat next to him on the flight back from Chicago; isn't that correct?

# 35 MS. CLARK:

Objection. Argumentative and leading.

# 36 THE COURT:

Well, "suppose," sounds like a hypothetical question. You want to ask a direct question?

# 37 MR. COCHRAN:

Let me rephrase that.

# 38 MR. COCHRAN:

Were you the only person in the world--

# 39 MR. COCHRAN:

Let me just get closer, your Honor.

# 40 MR. COCHRAN:

Were you the only person in the world to sit in seat 9E on flight 1691 on June 13th, 1994 from Chicago to Los Angeles on American Airlines when OJ Simpson sat in seat 9D?

KEY QUOTE

# 41 MR. PARTRIDGE:

Yes, I am.

# 42 MR. COCHRAN:

Thank you. Nothing further.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (3)

Mark Partridge

My intent was to prevent other people from copying these notes without my permission. I was sending them off to people and I didn't want them released to the media or anyone else without my consent.

Defuses the prosecution's suggestion that the copyright notice indicated commercial motive or self-interest.

Johnnie Cochran

Were you the only person in the world to sit in seat 9E on flight 1691 on June 13th, 1994 from Chicago to Los Angeles on American Airlines when OJ Simpson sat in seat 9D?

Cochran's rhetorical closing — an unanswerable question that underscores Partridge's irreplaceable value as a witness.

Mark Partridge

Yes, I am.

The definitive answer cementing Partridge's unique status as an eyewitness to Simpson's demeanor immediately after the murders.

Evidence (1)

Informal

discussed, used to rehabilitate witness

Notable Exchanges (3)

Johnnie Cochran•Mark Partridge

Cochran uses Partridge's expertise as a trademark/copyright lawyer to explain the copyright on his notes as professional protective instinct, not commercial motivation.

strategic

Johnnie Cochran•Mark Partridge

Cochran establishes that Partridge contacted police first, before sending notes to Detective Croxley in December 1994, countering any implication of delayed or selective cooperation.

strategic

Johnnie Cochran•Mark Partridge

Cochran informs the witness — in front of the jury — that Skip Taft is Simpson's 20-plus-year friend, business lawyer, and property co-owner, casting the prosecution's earlier line of questioning about Taft in a different light.

revealing

Credibility Attacks (1)

⚔ Marcia Clark

reframing prior cross-examination

Cochran implicitly reframes Clark's cross about the copyright notice and contact with law enforcement as misleading, using Partridge's own legal background and the fact that he contacted police first.

Objections

2 objections (0 sustained, 0 overruled)

Proceeding 6843 • 42 utterances • Defense witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103