These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and
are
>> > things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down
>> and now
>> > published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm
>> while
>> > these exchanges were actually taking place.
>> >
>> > 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: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
>> > WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
>> > ______________________________________
>> >
>> > ATTORNEY: This my asthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at
all?
>> > WITNESS: Yes.
>> > ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
>> > WITNESS: I forget.
>> > ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you
>> > forgot?
>> > _____________________________________
>> >
>> > ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
>> > WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
>> > ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
>> > WITNESS: Forty-five years.
>> > _____________________________________
>> >
>> > 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: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in
>> voodoo?
>> > WITNESS: We both do.
>> > ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
>> > WITNESS: We do.
>> > ATTORNEY: You do?
>> > WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.
>> >
>> >
>> > ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in
his
>> > sleep,
>> > he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
>> > WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
>> >
>> >
>> > ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
>> > WITNESS: Uh, he's twenty-one.
>> >
>> >
>> > ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
>> > WITNESS: Would you repeat the question?
>> > ______________________________________
>> >
>> > ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
>> > WITNESS: Yes.
>> > ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
>> > WITNESS: Uh....
>> > ______________________________________
>> >
>> > ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
>> > WITNESS: Yes.
>> > ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
>> > WITNESS: None.
>> > ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
>> > ______________________________________
>> >
>> > ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
>> > WITNESS: By death.
>> > ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
>> > ______________________________________
>> >
>> > ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
>> > WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
>> > ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
>> > ______________________________________
>> >
>> > ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a
>> deposition
>> > notice which I sent to your attorney?
>> > WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
>> > ______________________________________
>> >
>> > ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed
>> on dead
>> > people?
>> > WITNESS: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.
>> > ______________________________________
>> >
>> > ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did
you go
>> > to?
>> > WITNESS: Oral.
>> > ______________________________________
>> >
>> > ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
>> > WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
>> > ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
>> > WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was
doing an
>> > autopsy on him!
>> > ______________________________________
>> >
>> > ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
>> > WITNESS: Huh?
>> > ______________________________________
>> >
>> > ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check
>> for a
>> > pulse?
>> > WITNESS: No.
>> > ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
>> > WITNESS: No.
>> > ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
>> > WITNESS: No.
>> > ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when
you
>> > began the autopsy?
>> > WITNESS: No.
>> > ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
>> > WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
>> > ATTORNEY: But could the patient have still been alive,
nevertheless?
>> > WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and
>> > practicing law
