The Legal Edge

I was in the NBC car headed for a series of live shots to talk about him.

“She’s gonna give him life.” So predicted O.J. Simpson’s Las Vegas attorney Gabe Grasso in a phone conversation with me as he was heading out his office door to the sentencing hearing for his client.

“They’ve been out for him since day one.” So says O.J. friend and famous groom Tom Scotto in our phone talk just a hour before the sentence was pronounced.

And yet, despite the gloominess of these insiders, O.J. got an early holiday gift. (”Holiday” is now the PC version of season’s greetings; lest we offend any Christian, Jew, or Kwanzanista.) When is a minimum 9 years in the slammer a “gift”? When you could be looking at life. When the probation department wanted you to do at least twice that time.

Judge Jackie “pain in the” Glass could have given the hall of famer a true life sentence or an effective life sentence. The guys is 61. How long can he survive in prison? At 61 his life expectancy is now 22.2 years. I’m guessing that prison life, even in segregation, will cut that expectancy in half. So, O.J. may make it to his first parole hearing in 2017 but he may not see the proverbial light of day ever again.

So, as the talking heads (I mean that in the nicest way) pontificate on the appropriateness of this sentence for O.J. and his chances on appeal (slim); I can only think of one thing…not O.J., but C.J. We’ve all made bad decisions in our lives, but can any one of us say that our one mistake has been so painfully punctuated? Even though Stewart’s chances on appeal are better than O.J.’s (Is there any better evidence that Stewart should have had his case severed than the sentence he received?) this former mortgage broker is going to suffer a personal foreclosure the likes of which no one making that one mistake should ever experience.

Choose your friends wisely.

MJB

It feels like TLE is in the witness protection program. We are now on a new server which will allow us to make the design changes I tipped you off about before.

Just another step along the long road to where we need to be.

I’m dying to chime in on all the latest legal stuff out there and will have the time soon. I hope all is well out there!

MJB

It’s been a while and I owe you an update on what we’re up to here at TLE. As most know we are very proud of our recent live trial coverage of the Nevada v. O.J. Simpson trial. Not a hiccup or glitch from Opening Statements to 2:00a.m. EDT verdict. And a few exclusive interviews along the way.

But here is what you didn’t  know was going on in the background: website development issues that jeopardized the whole project. It got so bad we had to change development teams in the 11th hour and only through the tireless work of many did were we able to fire off that first signal to get O.J. onto your computer screen. But we never were able to get you all the features we had planned and that has been hugely disappointing to me. So, we’re now fixing that.

We will soon begin the re-design of the existing site pages and add the features we had hoped to have available from day one. Including:

• Know Your Rights — Consumer segments (I’m sprinkling a few of them into the mix on the Live Trial page for now.)
• Caught on Tape Moments — Hundreds of them from a dash cam or convenience store near you.
• Message Boards
• Legal News — a link page plus original content to keep you up to date on the latest in legal news.
• Edge-Link Attorney Referral System — To help you find the legal help you need

Here’s a sneak peak at the new look:  (Thanks to NG for sharing the fill-in images)

As for live trial coverage, we had a few options on the board that quickly got moved into 2009. So, I’ve got a back up plan that will at least give us new trial content. More on that soon, but I won’t try to fool you, I want these new changes in place before we continue live trial coverage and begin to actually promote the site. It does us no good to promote the site when only about 30% of our content is in place.

So, be patient. We are in this for the long run. We proved what we can do with O.J. Just you wait.

MJB

What do P. Diddy and Barack Obama have in common?

I talked with both at the 2004 DNC in Boston, Massachuesettes. Not at the same time; not in the same room, but both men making an impression on the folks flooding into beantown to promote whoever was running as the democratic nominee in that year ages ago.

As for one of the men, he was knowledgeable, well-spoken, stylishly dressed and opinionated. Then there was Obama. Okay so they were bothall of those things; Diddy just had more bodyguards. I had seen Puff perform before. Barack had not yet rocked the country. But he sure did that night. It was a performance that made people ask, “Who is that guy?” I actually heard someone say, “He’s a local preacher.” Ahh, no. But he definitely began to spread the gospel of his democratic future that night.

His voice was strong, the language surgically precise. When Obama left that stage the audience went wild. It was more like a nominee acceptance than a keynote warm-up act. There was something about the way he carried himself, commanded respect and exuded confidence. I wasn’t the only person to look around and wonder not “if” this guy would someday run for President…but “when”?

And yet, once the buzz of Obama’s performance died down, I started trying to tick off the specific issues he talked about; the meat of any message. Nothing stood out; nothing had burned a brand in my brain. But I really liked the way the guy worked. Like a great rock concert or a firey sermon, it wasn’t the message as much as the messenger. And in the four years since that convention the messenger blossomed. The message; “change.”  Obviously a message embraced by the majority of voting Americans.

Now we begin this period of historical significance, a time for pride in this country for coming so far, finally. Yet, I still don’t know much about the messenger. I ‘ve heard the platitudes; the canned comments; no different than any other politician. It’s just that with Obama the package could not be better. This is a candidate, now President-elect, who has all the goods. He looks Presidential; he sounds Presidential; he’s the prototypical politician for the new millineum in a beautiful box with a big bow.

And that’s what scares me. What’s in the box?

MJB

Casey Anthony Trial Date Set

The official trial date is now set. January 5, 2009. Happy New Year.

Casey Anthony is now scheduled to stand trial in Orlando, Florida for the murder of her still missing little girl Caylee and for now let’s assume the date sticks. This is one of those  cases. A case; a story that captures the heart of the country, inflames passion, angers, no enrages.  An irresponsible mom who would rather not be a mom of any kind. More fun to party, come on, life doesn’t end at age 22 does it? What’s wrong with having a social life?

As sorry as I feel for the loving friends, grandparents and others who have become so involved in the sad saga, let’s be real here. Caylee is likely in a much better place now. The newest evidence; “air tests” of the Anthony car trunk revealing samples “consistent” with decomposition. The new info; the strand of hair that is “similar” to one found in Caylee’s brush; the chloroform residue; and most of all the strange explanation given by mother Casey saying she spent a month looking for her daughter before reporting her missing…it all leads to the same reasonable conclusion, Mommy Dearest.

And Casey, jurors don’t worry about dead bodies never found. In fact, a missing body pisses them off. Remember Perry March, the Tennessee attorney who killed his wife? Ten years later and the body was never found. No body; no problem. Perry will never see the outside world again.

I’m confident Ms. Anthony will get as fair a trial as is humanly possible under the circumstances. Too bad for her those circumstances include, a Florida venue; a nationally exposed case that has painted her a monster; and a truly unbelievable explanation of her actions once she “discovered” her child missing. Ask any parent.

In the normal course, a suspected killer might hope to escape the death penalty by telling authorities where to find the deceased victim. But the Anthony defense team has steadfastly held that Caley is still alive. Tough to reveal the body if you never killed anyone. If defense counsel believes the “Caley is still alive” strategy will play at trial they better wake up and smell the cyanide.

MJB

One of our big hearted fellow trial fans is reaching out to help find that little missing girl Caylee Anthony. I’m happy to pass this along:

Caylee Anthony, Texas EquuSearch and The Legal Edge

Bummed-out as I was, despite The Legal Edge going to bat for us for Spector Deux, we just couldn’t get enough people to commit to the pay-per-view concept.  Maybe next time, people will realize that TLE is totally serious about bringing us – the trial junkies – what we want!

As you know, we at T&T are totally absorbed in finding justice for little Caylee Anthony.  Sadly, we have come to accept this baby is dead, whether by accident or intent.

I have watched the absolute despair on Texas EquuSearch’s Tim Miller’s face about the lack of any cooperation from the Anthony family in locating Caylee.

TES has already laid out $44k in their search for Caylee and they are severely cashed-strapped at the moment.  Tim is physically drained and exhausted, but he and his wonderful group remain dedicated to bringing this baby home for a proper burial.

I have chatted back-and-forth with Michel and told him I took the money I would have paid for Spector Deux and donated it to EquuSearch.  Their work, not only for Caylee, but also for countless others, is a selfless labor of love.

I also told Michel, I would like to issue a challenge to all of you that told him you would subscribe to Spector Deux, please donate the money you would pony-up for Spector, or even as little as $5.  This baby needs to come home!

Michel and TLE, as well as T&T believe TES could certainly use what resources we have to offer.  They know that strength lies in our numbers and voices.  They, like us believe in justice.

So…one moment can change your life forever!

To donate to TES please go to http://www.texasequusearch.org/donate.html

TLE says, “Thanks Denise.”

JACOB -MJB's healthy, happy 5 year old

MJB

Of course if talking about Phil Spector’s hair a miss is as good as a mile. For those who read only headlines…We did not get enough PS2 fans to pledge their allegiance to a TLE production of the music producer’s re-trial.

We tried. We wish we had longer to get the word out. The hundreds of folks we got to commit in five days might have blossomed into the number we needed (1000) but we are out of time. I will be calling Judge Fidler this morning to officially bow out.

Thanks to all who tried to rally the troops. I believe there is still hope for Openings, Closings and Verdict to be televised but there has been no official word on that yet.

TLE is moving on. The two trials we were considering have been moved into 2009, so the pickings are slim but we’re lining up the best of the rest. And construction continues on our new features so keep an eye out for more as The Legal Edge Network works to become the place for all things legal.

 MJB

Oprah -- Apparantly reacting to a request for credit

Over the last week TLE has been fortunate enough to get some mainstream media attention appearing on the CBS Early Show, CNN  and Extra to talk about the O.J. Simpson verdict and our exclusive interview. We were more than happy to help out. That is, until we ran into Oprah.

Here’s what happened. An Oprah underling calls to say they would like to use our O.J. interview on their Friday “Live” topical program. I said “sure,” prepared the material and shipped it off. I then wrote to the Oprah legal department to confirm we would be getting the proper on screen credit for the material we were providing for free to the daytime Queen. A very standard, accepted practice in the biz. Here’s the reply:

              “Unfortunately, we can’t give .com credit. (It’s our standing policy not to provide any web addresses in our credits.)

Hmmm. Let’s see. We provide you with exclusive material you will effectively use as your own, because nobody reads the end credits on your show or any anybody else’s, and you won’t actually credit us since we are a dot com entity. Hey, who wouldn’t rush to make that deal? Are you kidding me?

I sent Oprah legal a nice note suggesting our TLE policy  was not to give away exclusive material without proper attribution. I also asked,

“What’s the harm in identifying the media outlet, even if it’s a dot com? And BTW, dot com media outlets are no different than ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNCB, FOX or any other local or national outlet. Oh, right. In this case there is a difference because although the big guys all tried to get the interview only up and coming TLE made it happen.”

A day later I got the shocking news that the Oprah show “was going a different direction.” That’s corporate weasle speak for “You got us. We were going to use your interview as our own and bury your credit so you received absolutely no value in return.”  (The October 10, 2008 program did include a segment on the O.J. Simpson verdict.)

I’m not sure what is more pathetic; the corporate Oprah machine that makes a practice of steam-rolling folks into submission so she can fill her show with the work product of others…or the likelihood that waaay too many people actually cave in to this bullying boloney so they can say, “We were on Oprah.”

Oprah, isn’t having all  the money enough?

MJB

IS PHIL SPECTOR IN YOUR FUTURE?

I once covered the “fight of the century”. It was 1986 at Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas. Thomas “Hitman” Hearns vs. “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler. The fight lasted only 2 1/2 rounds before the “Hitman” went down, and while celebufight fans like Bo Derek and Sly Stallone called it the best fight ever, the boxers were plotting to set up the rematch. As the glassy eyed Hearns told me after the fight, “We did it once…let’s do it again.”

What the heck does this have to to with The Legal Edge? Nothing really, except that after an outpouring of Phil Spector fan e-mails I’ve decided to try one last time to get a read on how many folks would really subscribe to a monthly service that allowed us to cover costs to stream the Spector trial. Here’s the deal: I’ve opened a new e-mail address just to receive commitments from PS2 fans. If the number is sufficient (and based on my calculations and production costs that number needs to be at least 1000 viewers at $35.00 per month. The cost would go down if we get more subscribers) we would go ahead with setting up the actual payment structure to assure these commitments. The last thing we want to do is start the process and end up going under because a large number of folks flaked.

Here’s the dedicated e-mail address: lawjerktoo@gmail.com

So, pass this along to anyone interested. I’ll e-mail the basics to all registered at TLE…and we’ll see. It’s up to you now.

MJB

As expected, both defendant O.J. Simpson and defendant C.J. Stewart filed there motions for new trial Friday the 10th, basically the last day to do so under the very time stingy Nevada rules. But here’s a betting line, a sure lock, my V.I.P. can’t lose special…Motion DENIED.

The hearing on the motion isn’t until October 30th, but this all pro forma, Gabe Grasso and Brent Bryson just making the right paper move through the system to set up grounds for appeal. You may remember Judge Jackie Glass refusing to extend the time to file the motion. Why would she do that knowing the amount of material counsel would need to review to support any motion? “I have no idea,” deadpanned Bryson in the courthouse hallway just after the verdict.

Well, I don’t have the same political constraints. Judge Glass said, “no” to any extension because she heard the case and the filing of a new trial motion is effectively asking the trial judge (Glass) to reverse herself on the rulings she handed down along the way. It just doesn’t happen. But the filing of the motion and the impending denial is necessary to set up the appeal.

So, the parties grind through the system. O.J. grinds through another 23 hours of each day in his segregated cell (See Part #4 of TLE’s Alfred Beardsley jailhouse interview), and the sentencing will come and go long before any appellate issues are ever decided.

But it’s part of the system. Flawed or not it’s the best on the planet.

MJB