Serendipity

HOW DO COURT RECORDERS KEEP STRAIGHT FACES???? These are from a book called "Disorder in the American Courts" and are things people actu ally said in court, word for word, taken down and published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while the exchanges were taking place. ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning? WITNESS: He said, 'Where am I, Cathy?' ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you? WITNESS: My name is Susan! _______________________________ ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact? WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks. ____________________________________________ ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active? WITNESS: No, I just lie there. ____________________________________________ ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth? WITNESS: July 18th. ATTORNEY: What year? WITNESS: Every year. _____________________________________ ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you? WITNESS: Thirty-eig...

Shawn and I, August 14, 2011 For those of you following my son Shawn Campbell's progress back through the court system, trying to right a wrong, things are happening so very slowly.  As anxious as he is...as anxious as we his family are...to see this pick up momentum, it feels like things are happening slower than a turtle's pace. He now has a new set of lawyers working on his case, Susan Betzjitomir and Terrance Baxter of Bath, NY.  They work as a team and although they are doing their job and what they feel is best for Shawn's case, we can only wish that there was more to be done to move this along. I visited Shawn this past Sunday, August 14th, and he was in good spirits although seemed a bit stressed.  It's not just stress from his case and what his lawyers are or are not doing, but also because he worries about all of his family out here.  I know he misses his life, his children and even being the workaholic that he once was. We talked at length abo...

Part 3 of the story: The Handyman--My Son The last two trips that Shawn Campbell made to the courtroom in Steuben County, located in Bath, NY has ended in disaster. Both   times, every motion his lawyer, Joseph Valley put across the table, the judge denied.  (As you may recall, these hearings were to decide whether the fact that a previous lawyer [Mr. K] was in the wrong by with-holding exculpatory evidence...which he denies doing, by-the-way.) Why? In court on April 25th, words and emotions escalated between Shawn's lawyer and the Assistant DA...so that it was less about Shawn's case and more about who was right in doing what.  Today...it only got worse. Today, not only did the judge deny any motions brought by Mr. Valley, but as well, he called for a conference in his chambers between Shawn, his lawyer, and both the DA and the Asst. DA.  There, things got heated so that what it boiled down to was the DA's office was putting down Mr. Valley, essentially s...