'STOP! STOP! STOP!': Judge has hands full with courtroom chaos - News

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Sep. 17, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

'STOP! STOP! STOP!': Judge has hands full with courtroom chaos

Glass frequently refereed lawyers' verbal jousting matches

By BRIAN HAYNES
REVIEW-JOURNAL

O.J. Simpson Trial

View the slideshow

O.J. TRIAL: DAY 6

• District Judge Jackie Glass scolded lawyers after several verbal sparring matches between them.

Sports memorabilia dealer Bruce Fromong said he didn't try to profit off the incident.

Surveillance video of Simpson and others at the Palace Station and the Palms was played for the jury.

O.J. Simpson waves Tuesday morning as he enters the Regional Justice Center for his trial on armed robbery and kidnapping charges.
Photo by Jessica Ebelhar/Review-Journal

District Judge Jackie Glass holds a bench conference Tuesday with, left to right, District Attorney David Roger and defense lawyers Robert Lucherini and Gabriel Grasso. Glass publicly and privately scolded lawyers on both sides several times Tuesday for clashing with each other during witness testimony.
Photo by The Associated Press

If District Judge Jackie Glass had a gavel, she might have snapped it in half Tuesday.

On day two of testimony in the O.J. Simpson armed robbery trial, the judge frequently found herself playing the role of exasperated parent to a courtroom of bickering children, holding multiple bench conferences with lawyers and refereeing a number of verbal jousting matches.

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"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Glass yelled at prosecutors and defense lawyers after a round of objections during cross-examination of sports memorabilia dealer Bruce Fromong.

"This isn't going to become a free-for-all," she said.

Later during Fromong's testimony, District Attorney David Roger started asking a question that ignited another round of courtroom fireworks, all televised live on cable channel truTV, formerly Court TV.

"At the time the defendants came in with a bunch of guns and took your property ... ," Roger began before being cut off by Simpson lawyer Yale Galanter, who jumped from his seat and shouted, "Objection!" in true Hollywood style.

"Sit down!" Glass yelled at him before returning calm to the courtroom.

"The last thing you want me to do, as a judge, is to lose my temper in front of the fine ladies and gentlemen of the jury and having to deal with all of you," Glass said to the lawyers.

She warned them to behave "or this is going to be a very, very unpleasant event."

Minutes later, Glass intervened again when Fromong and Robert Lucherini, a lawyer for co-defendant Clarence "C.J." Stewart, clashed.

Lucherini had asked whether Fromong was scared when Simpson, Stewart and four other men burst into a Palace Station hotel room in September.

"You might have been. I was not scared," Fromong replied.

Soon both men were talking over each other.

"Stop!" Glass shouted, slapping her hand on the bench.

Fromong finished his testimony without further interruption, but Glass didn't let the lawyers leave for lunch without reminding them to behave themselves.

In between the courtroom chaos, Fromong continued his testimony from the day before, which was cut short in the afternoon when he became dizzy and light-headed on the stand.

Prosecutors have charged Simpson and Stewart with 12 criminal counts, including armed robbery and kidnapping, in connection with the Palace Station incident.

Gabriel Grasso, Simpson's other defense lawyer, questioned Fromong about whether he tried to profit from the incident.

Fromong said he didn't.

If that was the case, Grasso asked, why did Fromong advertise Simpson photos on the auction Web site eBay as being identical to those stolen from him in Las Vegas?

"I'm a businessman. I've done what I've been doing for 24 years," Fromong replied.

Grasso also played an audio clip of a secret recording made during the incident. After Simpson and the others had left the room, a livid Fromong is heard talking to memorabilia dealer Alfred Beardsley and auctioneer Thomas Riccio, who set up the meeting.

"It's not over," Fromong said on the recording. "I'll have Inside Edition here for us tomorrow. I told them I want big money."

Fromong testified on Monday that he called the celebrity news show because the incident was news.

"I did not want to profit off this," he said.

Fromong, a longtime business partner and friend of Simpson's, said he and Simpson could have worked out an arrangement, such as an autograph signing, for the return of the game footballs and other one-of-a-kind memorabilia involved in the incident. He never would have taken money from Simpson for the items, which he legally acquired from former Simpson manager Mike Gilbert, he said.

"It was never a question of money," Fromong said. "I believe these items belong to Mr. Simpson's family. They should go to his kids."

Contact reporter Brian Haynes at bhaynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0281.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Mamamia wrote on September 17, 2008 10:09 PM: Oh Stop! The drama queen judge is killing me with her histrionics! What a laff riot she is. and not the least effective. Lets vote her butt out the next election! VJ wrote on September 17, 2008 02:55 PM: OJ..OBAMA..JESSE JACKSON..AL SHARPTON..MICHAEL JACKSON..OPRAH..BIDEN..HITLERY CLINTON.. AND THE LAS VEGAS CULINARY UNION AND THE MEMBERS.. THEY ALL NEED TO JOIN RINGLING BROTHERS BARNUM AND BAILEY CIRCUS.. THEY WOULD MAKE GREAT CLOWNS.. Beth wrote on September 17, 2008 01:08 PM: Judge Glass LOVES all the drama make no mistake about that! She is playing it up for the cameras. Smile and say cheese!!!!! jscatty@hotmail.com wrote on September 17, 2008 11:22 AM: FYI Rogers question not even objectionable...witnes already testified men came in the room w/ guns so for Roger to include those facts in a question is not objectionable...to object to that question just illustrates OJ's attorneys have no grasp on how to try a case...these kind of petty unfounded objecctions alienate the jury very quickly...Guilty verdicts sure to follow.. amateur hour in full effect Dan wrote on September 17, 2008 10:41 AM: I'm no fan of O.J. and if the evidence shows he's guilty, I hope he gets the maximum sentence. That being said, David Roger showed himself to be the sneaky kind of snake that gives prosecutors a bad name when he tried to refer to the incident as an armed robbery in his questioning, and also say "when these men came in with guns.." Both of those things are still alleged. He knows better. I can understand now how he trained with the skunk Dan Seaton. citizen wrote on September 17, 2008 10:07 AM: cochrane clearly was a highly skilled trial attorney..as was F.Lee Bailey and Barry scheck etc...the point is ojs attys in his first trial were the real deal and it had nothing to do with Ito's ineptness...Galanter looks lost and uncomfortable...Grasso no talent ...David Roger a very capable trial attorney will bury these lightweights....as to the "Nevada system being no different"...quit untrue state law in Nevada shifts the burden of proof to defendants as do judges who are superlightweights on the rules of evidence and criminal procedure law......one can still get a fair trial in places like Ca and NY ...not nevada Lois wrote on September 17, 2008 09:53 AM: I think Judge Glass is doing a great job. Thank God she is not letting this become a circus. Galanter is way too cocky and I am sure he wants a huge show. Let these guys get a fair trail. Thank you Judge for doing such a fine job. Con law for Cons wrote on September 17, 2008 09:43 AM: Man oh man. There are not that many great lawyers so why are people expecting that these guys would be? Johnnie C was not a great lawyer either. It's just that ITO was a worse judge. Galanter shows his lack of respect for the court rules by objecting when he KNOWS Grasso is the guy on this witness. As far as telling OJ to stayoutta clark county, this is not a John Wayne movie. The Nevada system is no different than the other 49 systems in this country.......lot's of mediocre lawyers doing their best. Still the best Judicial system in the world....or would ya'll prefer perhaps sharia law?? citizen wrote on September 17, 2008 09:27 AM: watched some of the trial.....pure amateur hour....ojs' legal team for this trial is a joke....grasso stumbling through his cross of fromong.....galanter looking equally lost.....these two couldnt hold johnnie cochrane's briefcase....it takes seriously talented attorneys to win a jury trial in Clark County...see Binion II tom hunter wrote on September 17, 2008 08:52 AM: Judge needs to elevate the level. They are dragging her down into a pit. Be more formal, less folksy, and maybe they will get the message, your Honor. Read All Comments