April 2010

 If you have ever been to a trial and watched the drama unfold, you likely know that it all comes apart like an old thatch roof in a windstorm when the jurors hear, then see, and try to interpret the jury instructions. It is true. Jury instructions confuse jurors, they seldom instruct them on anything.

After a trial a few

Continue Reading Jury Instructions Do Not Instruct – They Confuse

 If you have been watching the news out of Portland, you know that a jury awarded the victim $1.4 million in a sex abuse case brought against the Boy Scouts of America for their failure to protect scouts from sex abuse at the hands of one of its Scout leaders. At trial the plaintiff argued that the Scouts had been

Continue Reading Portland Jury Awards $1.4 M In Boy Scout Sex Abuse Case Then Adds $18.4 M for Punitive Damages

 Thirteen months have passed since Ahmed Cepalo was killed outside Backstreet Billiards. Jeremy Hobbs was charged with murder and we commenced the trial of that case on April 12. It ended today with a hung jury. Mistrial. Do – over.

Jeremy remains in jail awaiting a conclusion to this case. I won’t discuss it here as I continue to represent

Continue Reading Jury’s Back – and hung

 I am currently captivated by The Pacific, an HBO mini-series airing on Sunday nights. Even on Easter Sunday I am watching as the men of the 1st Marine Division are moving through the jungle on New Britain. The jungle is everyone’s enemy. I cannot remember enough about the history of America’s time in that part of the world and I

Continue Reading Surviving Tough Times While Your Loved One Faces A Criminal Trial – Pray And Hold On