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
that had the torment of staying calm while these
exchanges were actually taking
place.
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:
This myasthenia 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:
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 20-year-old, how old is
he?
WITNESS:
He's 20, much like your
IQ.
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY:
Were you present when your picture was
taken?
WITNESS: Are
youkidding
me?
_________________________________________
(My
Favorite)
ATTORNEY: So the date of
conception (of the baby) was August
8th?
WITNESS:
Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing
at that
time?
WITNESS:
Getting
laid
____________________________________________
(Another
favorite)
ATTORNEY: She had three
children,
right?
WITNESS:
Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were
boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY:
Were there any
girls?
WITNESS:
Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I
get a new
attorney?
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY:
How was your first marriage
terminated?
WITNESS:
By death
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it
terminated?
WITNESS:
Take a
guess.
____________________________________________
this
one really tickles me
hehee!
ATTORNEY:
Can you describe the
individual?
WITNESS:
He was about medium height and had a
beard
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a
female?
WITNESS:
Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with
male.
_____________________________________
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
of them... The live ones put up too much of a
fight.
_________________________________________
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 PM
ATTORNEY: And
Mr. Denton was dead at the
time?
WITNESS: If
not, he was by the time I
finished.
____________________________________________
And
last:
(Well OK, this is the
best)
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: I see, but could the
patient have still been alive,
nevertheless?
WITNESS:
Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and
practicing
law.