Sun Runner: Mandalay Bay and the Cops

[Sun Runner]

So, I'm reading the article in the Review Journal about Richard Dougherty's "battery" case being thrown out of court because it was, to paraphrase, ridiculous.

The interesting thing to me -apart from the cops and the prosecutor never even looking at the tapes before hand (how could they have and proceeded?) -is the picture of Mr Dougherty and the man he suppossedly battered, Mr. Chris Tovia.

Dougherty may be a card counter but he don't look stupid.

Anybody "battering" Mr. Tovia would have had to be.

Now Mr. Tovia don't look stupid either. So one would assume it was either " .. say the little man hurt you Chris .. " or lose your job.

And by the way, what kinda prosecutor works in LV these days? Half way through the trial, she is watching the tapes, and AGREES that the tapes are hurting the credibility of the witness!?

Could it also be " .. say the little man is a criminal Ms Prosecutor .. " or lose your job also?

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_ho.../22070526.html

[SOTSOG]

> And by the way, what kinda prosecutor works
> in LV these days? Half way through the
> trial, she is watching the tapes, and AGREES
> that the tapes are hurting the credibility
> of the witness!?

Actually she agreed with the JUDGE'S statement.

Basically, the Judge warned her that letting her witnesses testify any further would only hurt her case even more. When a Judge tells you that, you better sit down and shut your mouth.

I'm wondering how much the defense will be able to get for false arrest, false witnesses, purjury, false testimony, kidnapping, assult, etc. in the coming lawsuit? Seems the Judge basically paved the way for it. Shut down the testimony from a witness in mid-sentence, and then basically refused to hear from other 'witnesses'.

I would even file breech of contract for not letting the guy use his comp points to pay for the meal!

[Sun Runner]

> Basically, the Judge warned her that letting
> her witnesses testify any further would only
> hurt her case even more. When a Judge tells
> you that, you better sit down and shut your
> mouth.

Ms Benedict is no doubt a smart lady, had seen the tapes, had interviewed the witness' already. She had to know how bad the case was. But yet she proceeded.

Truth be told she was probably relieved when the judge had enough and finally called it quits.

So, again, who was pushing her to trial? The DA probably. Who was pushing him? Mr. Tovia's boss perhaps.

Maybe they hadn't counted on a Justice of the Peace "Pro Tem." I guess her hope of long term employment in the court system just went out the window. Somebody forgot to tell her she was suppossed to side with the plantiff.

[SOTSOG]

One of the regular 'old boy' judges would have found a way to exclude the video tapes as not being relevant to the trial, and made the defendant pay double for having breathed the casino's air.

Maybe the whole reason the trial came up in front of this judge was because they knew their case was so weak they thought they could run over a judge who was new and maybe looking to score some points.

I would be interested in knowing what the police testimony was. Wonder if the officer even bothered looking at the tapes before slapping on the cuffs and making the arrest.

[Norm Wattenberger]

The police, DA and juries generally see everything in black and white. There are good people and bad people and damn the evidence. Police regularly testilie, juries regularly believe police no matter what they say and prosecutors and judges look the other way. The advent of DNA testing is proving most embarrassing as week after week people are released from death row proved innocent by science after having been found guilty by the charade we call 'justice.' (Yet another such story in today's paper.) Dougherty lucked out - he came before a newbie judge too honest or too naive to understand her part in the process. But it still cost him time, money, humiliation, and an experience they may change him and haunt him for years to come. You can never look at life with quite the same attitude when you know that you can be locked up at any moment at the whim of another.

norm

[dutch]

To condense what Arnold Snyder said in a recent issue of BJF Mag.

Nevada is a carnival that never leaves town and, worse yet, the carnies and flim-flam artists own the state's political and legal system. In any other state, a multi-million dollar award would be forthcoming for the 'defendant'. I hope he gets it but it will take further luck, legal skill and money to extract justice from that corrupt system. I surely hope he gets itbut am not optimistic.

[Sun Runner]

> Dougherty lucked out - he came before a
> newbie judge too honest or too naive to
> understand her part in the process.

Just wondering, is it possible Dougherty didn't just luck out? Is it possible that somewhere in the justice system -those that can control whats what -assigned this case to the newbie judge so that one of the good ole boys in black robes didn't get the case?

Could the system itself be becoming embarrassed by it's own public displays of blatant pandering to the casinos and blatant disregard for the rule of law as it applies to the patrons?

It will be interesting to watch the carreer track of this judge.

[E. Diddy]

What's "bottom steering?" It sounds a bit lewd.

--E Diddy