Laurie Butler served as attorney for Detective Mark Fuhrman, appearing in the criminal trial on August 14, 1995, during a pivotal sidebar concerning access to the Fuhrman tapes — recordings that would become central to the defense's challenge of Fuhrman's credibility. Her involvement came as the defense argued broadly that LAPD evidence handling could not be trusted, with claims ranging from incompetence to deliberate manipulation, making Fuhrman's conduct and the tapes' accessibility a flashpoint in the proceedings.