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Michael Jackson: Abuse Expert Will Testify

By Jeralyn, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 03:34:33 PM EST
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The Judge in the Michael Jackson case today ruled that an "expert" on how children behave after being abused may testify at the trial. Jackson's lawyer had a good argument against it but it didn't work:

Jackson lawyer Tom Mesereaux told the court: "What if they are flat-out liars? They have a history of lying in school, lying in acting school, lying in the community. What if they testify falsely in order to help their mother (obtain money)."

....Mesereaux said the prosecution hoped the expert witness would "bolster the credibility of their witnesses. They have a weak case. Our whole position is they should not be allowed to bolster (their witnesses) sheer lack of credibility."

....Prosecutors want the expert to testify that child abuse victims often wait for a long period of time before revealing what happened to them, often do not confide in those closest to them, often give piecemeal accounts and retain an affection for their abuser.

Jury selection begins January 31.

In other case news, the Judge has granted Jackson an exemption from the gag order and permission to be interviewed by PrimeTime Live and Geraldo Rivera before the trial begins to combat the leaks of grand jury testimony.

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    Michael Jackson: Abuse Expert Will Testify | 2 comments (2 topical)
    Re: Michael Jackson: Abuse Expert Will Testify (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 21, 2005 at 05:50:43 PM EST
    The guy is nut's, and the kid will become rich, so will the lawyers, end of story, sad world.

    Re: Michael Jackson: Abuse Expert Will Testify (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 22, 2005 at 09:40:26 AM EST
    Well, this is a criminal trial so the kid is not getting anything out of it except may be the satisfaction of seeing a pervert gets sent to prison for a long time.

    Michael Jackson: Abuse Expert Will Testify | 2 comments (2 topical)