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From: charlie
Date: 8/27/03
Time: 11:41:21 AM
Remote Name: 209.240.198.62
Tim G., I think you have it nailed here. The civil trial was "different". The judge was allowed to do things that would not "fly" in the criminal trial.
Shutting down the trial on a 'whim" was one thing. Allowing the plaintiffs to go on til about 15 minutes before the end of the court day and then INSISTING that the defense start that second or lose the opportunity for rebutal was just one example.
Barring MF and other people from the trial and barring the manuscripts of MF and the other detectives is another. Clark and Darden deliberately waited til the end of the civil trial to say that they had a book and release it.
Dismissing Officer Gonzales (sp) when he turned hostile on the stand instead of making him answer the questions is another example. He turned hostile when he realized his testimony did not match Vannatter's and Lange's.
Seeing to it that the defense did not get to examine the photos are another.
Limiting what they could use of Dr.Lee's testimony, etc.
The list goes on and on.
RARELY do people get charged with perjury in a civil trial--although they should be. As long as people KNOW that nothing much will happen to them if they tell lies in a civil trial--this kind of things will continue to happen.
I think if they had tried to use the photos in the criminal trial--they would have been busted -because it would be Required to give the photos and negatives and contact sheets, etc. to the defense for study by experts.
So they didn't even try it.
I think if Marsha Clark thought the photos would pass the "smell test" she would have used them.
charlie