Trial Update: Day One

Today was slated for jury selection, but the Court moved much more quickly than expected.  I’m informed that witnesses were heard after lunch.  Richard Davis took the stand sometime around 5PM.

Tomorrow, due to elections, the Court will not be in session.  Trial will resume on Wednesday.

The trial picked up some coverage in the Los Angeles Times and the Charleston, SC Post and Courier.

UPDATE (Tuesday, November 4):  The Charleston Post and Courier has coverage of the first day of trial. From the article:

“[Trademark Properties and Richard Davis] did everything we were supposed to do, and Richard Davis was credited as creator of the show,” [Frank Cisa, attorney for Trademark] said.

Cisa said A&E executives “did everything they were supposed to do — except pay.”

He told the 12 jurors that Davis is entitled to a multimillion-dollar award.

Charleston attorney Richard Farrier, who represents A&E, began his opening arguments with the phrase, “No way.”

He said Davis was asked if he had any “deals” with A&E when Davis began working with a competing network, TLC.

“He, in writing, confirmed he had no deals,” Farrier said.

He said A&E would never agree to such an arrangement, that even superstar comedienne Tina Fey couldn’t swing a 50-50 split.

“We would never make that deal. The suggestion we would is, frankly, absurd,” Farrier said. “It’s preposterous.”

He asked the jury why someone would appear on national television for free and then answered his own question. Davis, Farrier said, “in effect, got an hour-long infomercial.”

He told jurors that their job is much like the A&E program, “CSI: Miami.”

“What we’re doing today is CSI: Charleston,” he said. “And CSI: Charleston is about contract scene investigation.”