Posted on 08/04/2004 6:54:24 AM PDT by dukeman
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The antics in the trial of a Walt Disney World worker accused of groping a 13-year-old girl's breast while posing for photos dressed as Tigger would be downright goofy if the charges weren't so serious.
Jurors will get the chance to try on a Tigger costume in the jury room. Walt Disney World officials suggested Tigger's costume be altered before being introduced as evidence. The defense attorney moonlights as Goofy and Tigger at the theme park resort.
"This whole trial has a bunch of things unique about it," Matt Benefiel, court administrator for the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Orlando, said Tuesday on the second day of trial, which is expected to last through Wednesday.
Michael Chartrand, 36, is accused of misdemeanor battery and lewd and lascivious molestation, a felony. If convicted he faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. He rejected a plea offer on Monday that would have kept him out of prison.
He was suspended without pay from his job and his fiance left him after he was arrested in April.
During deliberations, jurors will get the chance to try on the Tigger costume. Defense attorney Jeffrey Kaufman Jr. said he wanted the jurors to feel what it's like inside the hot, stuffy costume so they know how difficult it is to wear.
"Johnny Cochran with the glove thing might be outdone," said Kaufman, referring to the O.J. Simpson trial.
Benefiel said he can't remember another case where jurors were allowed to try on an outfit.
But the use of the Tigger costume during the trial worried Disney officials enough that a company attorney suggested to the defense attorney that the costume be dyed black and white and its ears be removed, Kaufman said last week.
The Tigger costume, covered in a black garment bag and stuffed in a cardboard box, was entered into evidence as state's exhibit No. 7 on Tuesday. Later, Kaufman pulled out the costume's head, bodysuit, tail and paws out the box to show the detective who investigated the case. Kaufman stuck his arm in the orange and black-striped head and held it up to show how vision is limited in the costume before placing it back in the box.
Disney officials hoped the costume would be treated with respect.
"Our hope is that the use of our costume will be handled with appropriate sensitivity so as to preserve the dreams and magic for our younger guests as much as possible," Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak said.
Prosecutor William Jay told jurors during opening arguments that such magic was stolen from the victim when she posed with Tigger and her mother for photos last February.
"He abused his job as a costumed character to steal a little girl's innocence," Jay said.
Much of the trial's contention hinges on whether photos show Tigger's hands on the breasts of the girl and her mother, who later told her daughter she too was groped. Disagreement also centered on whether Disney characters are allowed to place their hands on guests when posing for pictures.
The girl's former stepfather testified that he didn't notice anything unusual when he took a picture of Tigger with the girl and his then-wife.
Several Disney employees offered conflicting testimony on whether Disney policy prohibited touching visitors around the waist or along the rib cage.
Jeff Dillman, Chartrand's manager at Disney, told jurors that Disney was worried about the perception of where characters' hands might appear to be in a photo and liked the hands to be visible. Disney now requires employees who work as characters to sign a document promising not to make any inappropriate touching, Kaufman told jurors.
Kaufman, who moonlights at the theme park resort working sometimes as Goofy and Tigger, took the job for free.
"Disney characters don't make any money. They're broke," Kaufman said. "There are hundreds of issues that come up, that, I hate to say, if you haven't worn the costume and you haven't worked there, you don't understand."
Sounds like something he'd do.
Thank God there's only one of him.
With the costume on, he may not have even known where his hands were, much less if he was groping!! I doubt there's much tactile response through the material.
What kind of "motive" gets through those gloves?
Wonder if the defense attorney has taken a good look at the divorce papers on this mother ~ noticing, of course, that he's already found the ex-husband to testify on his client's behalf!
One stands there eyes wide open, mouth agape, anticipating the next surprise.
How do you become a "former stepfather"?
I've heard that there are a whole bunch of deviated preverts that get turned on by dressing up in animal costumes. I bet they get alot of these kind of weirdos because the pay's so low.
"The defense attorney moonlights as Goofy and Tigger at the theme park resort."
He should conduct the defense in his Tigger costume.
(Lawsuit)
Tiggers don't like groping.
Meanwhile, on "Gay Day," the lines are long at "The Tunnel Of Love" as Disney officials look on approvingly.
This makes sense. Hubby has a friend who says one of these characters (can't remember which one) squeezed his butt while they were taking a picture with his kids. Knowing the stance about the gay lifestyle Disney encourages this guy was rather upset.
Since Disney caters to perverts I can't see why anyone would be surprised that Tigger would grope a little girl. The only thing I find surprising is that it wasn't a little boy.
The wonderful thing about Tiggers,
Is Tiggers are wonderful things.
Their tops are made out of rubber,
their bottoms are made out of springs.
Hmmmm,
Gotta think about the gropping stuff.
First of all, I hardly see how this could have robbed a 13 year old girls 'innocence' and as the father of 3 girls, 2 of whom have already passed the 13 year old range, someone needs to teach her the proper response. Tigger, Pooh, Mickey-----they all got sensitives areas and will respond when a 13 year old girls applies all the force she can summon as a counter move to this kind of touching. And it would make a terrific souvenier picture! People gotta toughen up.
I think the bulky costume and probably poor line of vision you have when you wear it are going to be the main lines of defense.
Ha! The cute rhymes are exactly why Disney is trying to obscure the costume from public view during the trial. Bad publicity.
Good grief. Have these people not seen those costume paws? They're not hands, they're big cushioned oven mitts or something along the lines of sponge football fingers. It's recommended that kids bring those giant markers when they want autographs so the characters can grasp them (the markers, not the kids). Some characters even have helpers to sign for them because the costume does not allow them the dexterity.
And what about that Christopher Robin dude? Don't you think it's strange that he only hangs around with animals? And where are the parents?
Good pic for use in the cops' photo array of suspects!
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