Nothing can truly prepare you for the things that will go on in the courtroom. You will be asked obscure questions intended to confuse you or make you look less than credible. You will probably be treated as a lier by the defense attorney. And you will see a variety of attempts to play things off for the journey that this wasn’t what it is portrayed to be. There are lots of variations. Just try not to be too surprised.
Courtroom Dialogue
The following has been circulated for a while, but it puts things in perspective.
Courtroom TestimonyThese are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm and quiet while these exchanges were actually taking place.ATTORNEY : When is your birthday?WITNESS : July 18th.ATTORNEY : What year?WITNESS : Every year.____________________________________ATTORNEY : What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?WITNESS : Gucci sweats and Reeboks._____________________________________ATTORNEY : This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?WITNESS : Yes.ATTORNEY : And in what ways does it affect your memory?WITNESS : I forget.ATTORNEY : You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?___________________________________ATTORNEY : How old is your son, the one living with you?WITNESS : Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can’t remember which.ATTORNEY : How long has he lived with you?WITNESS : Forty-five years._____________________________________ATTORNEY : Are you sexually active?WITNESS : No, I just lie there._____________________________________________ATTORNEY : What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?WITNESS : He said, “Where am I, Cathy?”ATTORNEY : And why did that upset you?WITNESS : My name is Susan.______________________________________ATTORNEY : Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?WITNESS : We both do.ATTORNEY : Voodoo?WITNESS : We do.ATTORNEY : You do?WITNESS : Yes, voodoo.______________________________________ATTORNEY : Now doctor, isn’t it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn’t know about it until the next morning?WITNESS : Did you actually pass the bar exam?___________________________________ATTORNEY : The youngest son, the twenty-one year-old, how old is he?WITNESS : Uh, he’s twenty-one.________________________________________ATTORNEY : Were you present when your picture was taken?WITNESS : Would you repeat the question?______________________________________ATTORNEY : So the date of conception of the baby was August 8th?WITNESS : Yes.ATTORNEY : And what were you doing at that time?WITNESS : Uh…._____________________________________ATTORNEY : She had three children, right?WITNESS : Yes.ATTORNEY : How many were boys?WITNESS : None.ATTORNEY : Were there any girls?______________________________________ATTORNEY : How was your first marriage terminated?WITNESS : By death.ATTORNEY : And by whose death was it terminated?______________________________________ATTORNEY : Can you describe the individual?WITNESS : He was about medium height and had a beard.ATTORNEY : Was this a male or a female?______________________________________ATTORNEY : Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?WITNESS : No, this is how I dress when I go to work.______________________________________ATTORNEY : Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?WITNESS : All my autopsies are performed on dead people.______________________________________ATTORNEY : ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?WITNESS : Oral.______________________________________ATTORNEY : Do you recall the time that you examined the body?WITNESS : The autopsy started around 8:30 pm.ATTORNEY : And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?WITNESS : No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him!______________________________________ATTORNEY : Are you qualified to give a urine sample?WITNESS : Huh?______________________________________As for the last!!!ATTORNEY : Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?WITNESS : No.ATTORNEY : Did you check for blood pressure?WITNESS : No.ATTORNEY : Did you check for breathing?WITNESS : No.ATTORNEY : So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?WITNESS : No.ATTORNEY : How can you be so sure, Doctor?WITNESS : Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.ATTORNEY : But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?WITNESS : Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.
Let us know if we can help you dealing with your family’s sexual abuse situation. For ideas to get started please check out our book on what to do during the early days after disclosure.
