The cabaret act will begin shortly in court number 3...
We recently came across a little book called Disorder in the Court: Great Fractured Moments in Courtroom History by Charles M. Sevilla. It contains actual exchanges that took place in American courts. Those who think that the activities of the law courts are largely somber affairs may wish to reconsider their opinion. The court reporters who had the job of recording these exchanges must have called on all their reserves to maintain straight faces!
Dead as a doornail
Q: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he
doesn't know about it until the next morning?
A: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
Q: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
A: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
Q: And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time?
A: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy
Q: Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?
A: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.
Q: How was your first marriage terminated?
A: By death.
Q: And by whose death was it terminated?
Brain surgeon
Q: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
Is there a zombie in our midst?
Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for breathing?!
A: No.
Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the
autopsy?
A: No.
Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Q: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
A: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law
somewhere.
Happy birthday!
Q: What is your date of birth?
A: July 15.
Q: What year?
A: Every year.
Q: How old is your son, the one living with you?
A: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
Q: How long has he lived with you?
A: Forty-five years.
Q: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
Dedicated follower of fashion
Q: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
A: Gucci sweats and Reeboks
Say that again...
Q: This condition you have... does it affect your memory at all?
A: Yes.
Q: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
A: I forget.
Q: You forget? Can you give us an example of something that you've
forgotten?
Oops!
Q: What was the first thing your husband said to you when he woke up
that morning?
A: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
Q: And why did that upset you?
A: My name is Susan.
Aaagghh!
Q: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo or the
occult?
A: We both do.
Q: Voodoo?
A: We do.
Q: You do?
A: Yes, voodoo.
I understand completely
Q: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
A: Oral
Plain English, please...
Q: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice
which I sent to your attorney?
A: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
Plain spooky!
Q: Were you present when your picture was taken?
Q: Can you describe the individual?
A: He was about medium height and had a beard.
Q: Was this a male, or a female?
DCLnews, June 2005
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