Posted on 06/22/2006 2:23:47 AM PDT by abb
DURHAM -- District Attorney Mike Nifong plans to give defense lawyers at least 300 additional pages of information about the Duke University lacrosse rape case, adding to 1,298 pages of documentation surrendered previously.
Without describing their contents, Nifong said the new documents would be handed over during a preliminary hearing today for three recently indicted lacrosse players: Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann and David Evans.
The three are accused of raping, sodomizing and restraining an exotic dancer in a bathroom during an off-campus party at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd. in mid-March.
All are free under $400,000 bonds as they await a trial that, according to Nifong, might begin next spring.
None is expected to attend today's hearing.
In addition to a transfer of documents, the hearing will include a request from Seligmann's lawyers that his bond be lowered to roughly one-tenth its current level. The lawyers filed an affidavit in support of that request Wednesday.
Signed by Philip Seligmann, the defendant's father, the affidavit said that Seligmann had been recruited by every Ivy League university to play football or lacrosse, and that he accepted a 90-percent scholarship to be on the Duke lacrosse team.
"This case has taken an unbelievable and horrendous emotional toll on all my family, especially my wife," the elder Seligmann wrote. "We are committed as a family, along with Reade, to do everything necessary to restore our good name."
According to the affidavit, Seligmann's bail money was provided by a family friend whose "loss of income is substantial" as a result.
In a related matter, the News and Observer Publishing Co. moved Wednesday to make public certain documents -- reportedly pertaining to the alleged rape victim's medical records -- that were filed by defense lawyers under seal.
"In this case, the fact that there are charges of sexual assault is unfortunate and controversial -- either because a woman has been sexually violated or because the defendants have been wrongfully accused -- but neither is a justification for sealing a court proceeding," a lawyer for the newspaper wrote.
The lawyer, Hugh Stevens, also said the sealed documents raised questions about Nifong's handling of the case. He said that when the conduct of public officials is at issue, it is an added reason for making the pertinent files public.
Meanwhile, several defense lawyers predicted Wednesday that Nifong's latest 300-plus pages of documentation would do little to help him, since earlier paperwork -- in their view -- was more beneficial to the defense than the prosecution.
For example, attorneys Joe Cheshire and Brad Bannon have said the earlier documents showed a "very significant and disturbing deficiency" in Nifong's evidence.
Specifically, there were indications that Nifong began making public statements about the accuser's medical records even before they were in his possession, according to the two lawyers, who represent Evans.
Cheshire and Bannon said the District Attorney's Office subpoenaed the accuser's medical files from Duke Hospital on March 20 -- six days after the alleged rape.
However, the files were not printed out in compliance with the subpoena until March 30, and Police Investigator Benjamin Himan didn't pick them up until April 5, Cheshire and Bannon wrote in court paperwork last week.
But the lawyers said Nifong told a local television station on March 27 that he had no doubt the exotic dancer was raped, based on a "personal review" of her medical records. They quoted the district attorney as saying, "My reading of the report of the emergency room nurse would indicate that some type of sexual assault did in fact take place."
Citing the 1,298 pages of documentation given them by Nifong earlier, various defense lawyers also have contended there were numerous inconsistencies in the accuser's version of events, along with unacceptable omissions in a sworn affidavit prepared by police. The affidavit was used by Himan to obtain judicial permission for his evidence-gathering efforts.
Among other things, Himan failed to mention that a co-dancer had described the rape allegation as "a crock," even though she was with the accuser for all but about five minutes on the night in question, according to defense lawyers.
Nifong has bristled at that and other defense characterizations of his evidence, while attacking the national press corps for -- in his opinion -- blindly reporting the characterizations without checking their accuracy.
"Is anyone surprised that the defense attorneys are spinning this case in such a way that things do not look good for the prosecution?" Nifong wrote in an e-mail to Newsweek magazine last week.
"Their job, after all, is to create reasonable doubt, a task made all the easier by an uncritical national press corps desperate for any reportable detail, regardless of its veracity," the district attorney said.
The e-mail traffic was made public by Nifong on Monday.
URL for this article: http://www.herald-sun.com/durham/4-746370.html
Court proceedings are delayed???
Interesting to say the least. Is Stephens wondering why LIEfong didn't disclose these additional 536 pages a few weeks ago? In court, LIEfong said he had turned over ALL discovery.
Nifong and Stevens are in each other's pocket...
I am sure they will. But the question is who will cut away first.
Based on what Karas was reporting, it sounds like Stephens is clearing his docket. Finishing on another case before the hearing can begin on this one.
I know but I am still hoping.
Why do I think they will call today off...period. Wonder who called for the delay......AND why the judge permitted it. Court is a "Timely" matter.
hmmm....I choose Fox....for a car chase in Calif.
Actually LIEfong DID comment with his email and subsequent "statement" this week. So there goes that theory. Either that or Grace needs to say LIEfong is unethical.
It's still a public statement where Nifong violated the rules that apply to him.
It's prejudical and in what other case is it acceptable to criticize or make implications due to association?
We have individual justice - guilt by assocation is prohibited.
Maybe the Blank Panthers haven;t arrived yet and set up thier Kool Aid stand.
Dang it I going to have to chose CNN then.....
Yup, that's him
I think the atmosphere around the courtroom is calmer, because it was known that the Rapists wouldn't be attending /sarc
Unfortunately-Jackies' neck is so fat you can't see his adams apple.
I think NG is stressing that "the judge is late" because of that Ohio case where the judge this week dismissed a rape charge when the prosecutor was late to court.
JMO But when NG gets something in her crawl, she won't let it go.
Actually, she's not that offensive today with respect to the Duke case.
Well, he's doing his cool off period now. Then he'll pull a Clinton and come back and say he screwed up and will you please forgive me and I'd really like to be your Gov.
You just wait. He'll try it. He can't stand to be out of the limelight for long.
Does anyone have a pic of the cousin? I remember he/she in one dressed in black and he/she was HUGE.
They got her filled full of tranks, I tell ya..
Does Wendy Murphy get free Kool Aid from the Panthers?
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