I'm bringing forward some of my previous comments, in case anyone missed them. Hopefully, this will address the obvious question being raised.
First, a key sentence from the Court TV article:
The court is expected to issue a key ruling within weeks which could determine whether Maher goes home to upstate New York soon or if he will spend much of the rest of his life imprisoned in the tiny French principality on the Mediterranean.
My previous comments on this thread that are very relevant to the above statement:
I may be wrong, but here's my take on Ted's current situation as it stands. (This is strictly my interpretation, and I hope I don't screw up something for him by throwing my theory around in public. I'm just stating the obvious.)
The decision about his defense strategy is a huge gamble. Does he continue insisting on his complete innocence and risk life in prison and never seeing his children again? If he steadfastly continues to talk about "intruders," then Monaco is forced to deal with it accordingly. They must protect their "safe" image since their economy is based on tourism.
On the other hand, should he vaguely refer to the fire as "an accident," be conciliatory & capitulating in his wording, and essentially give Monaco an "out" so they can let him come home? Does he compromise and give them what they need to "save face" so he can receive a lesser sentence than life in prison?
To me, it boils down to making the best of a really bad situation. Monaco needs a scapegoat so they can retain their precious "tourist mecca" image; Lily is being typical Lily (read about her history); and Ted desperately wants to come home and put all this behind him.
It's really easy for me to sit here and piously say, "If I were in that situation, I wouldn't budge an inch!", but then again, I'm not in that situation. I'm sitting here fat and happy with my spouse and kids and watching the kids as they grow up. If I were in Ted Maher's situation, I honestly don't know what I'd do.
Heidi, this is your business, but if I were an attorney involved in this case, I would advise you to refrain from commenting on this particular issue.
Jalapeno, respectfully, you have to understand that these threads are monitored by Monaco. They're probably hitting refresh every 30 seconds on this one. :-)
She can't be answering those kinds of questions right now. I know she wants to, but if she's smart, she won't comment specifically on Ted's defense issues.
Why is there such a disconnect here? Why isn't Ted claiming his innocence? Nita's explaination is plausible, and if that's the argument we can leave it at that. I would only add that its just as plausible is that it might be true.
I've been trying to picture myself in that Monaco hell-hole, wondering just what I would do if I were in that situation. Even if I were completely innocent of doing anything wrong, would I continue to loudly & defiantly proclaim my innocence after being locked in a jail cell with no trial for over two and a half years? What kind of shape would I be in if I could only talk to my kids once a week on a stupid telephone? And if the judge ripped up my kids' mail in front of me? If my spouse had to work back-to-back doubles and sell the house just to keep groceries on the table for the kids? I can't even imagine it.