Tag: Trial

The Increasing Role of Cybersecurity Experts in Complex Legal Disputes

The testimonies and guidance of expert witnesses have been known to play a significant role in high-stakes legal matters, whether it be the opinion of a clinical psychiatrist in a homicide case or that of a career IP analyst in a patent infringement trial. However, in today’s highly digital world—where cybercrimes like data breaches and theft of intellectual property are increasingly commonplace—cybersecurity professionals have become some of the most sought-after experts for a broadening range of legal disputes.

Below, we will explore the growing importance of cybersecurity experts to the litigation industry in more depth, including how their insights contribute to case strategies, the challenges of presenting technical and cybersecurity-related arguments in court, the specific qualifications that make an effective expert witness in the field of cybersecurity, and the best method for securing that expertise for your case.

How Cybersecurity Experts Help Shape Legal Strategies

Disputes involving highly complex cybercrimes typically require more technical expertise than most trial teams have on hand, and the contributions of a qualified cybersecurity expert can often be transformative to your ability to better understand the case, uncover critical evidence, and ultimately shape your overall strategy.

For example, in the case of a criminal data breach, defense counsel might seek an expert witness to analyze and evaluate the plaintiff’s existing cybersecurity policies and protective mechanisms at the time of the attack to determine their effectiveness and/or compliance with industry regulations or best practices. Similarly, an expert with in-depth knowledge of evolving data laws, standards, and disclosure requirements will be well-suited to determining a party’s liability in virtually any matter involving the unauthorized access of protected information. Cybersecurity experts are also beneficial during the discovery phase when their experience working with certain systems can assist in potentially uncovering evidence related to a specific attack or breach that may have been initially overlooked.

We have already seen many instances in which the testimony and involvement of cybersecurity experts have impacted the overall direction of a legal dispute. Consider the Coalition for Good Governance, for example, that recently rested its case(Opens an external site in a new window) as the plaintiffs in a six-year battle with the state of Georgia over the security of touchscreen voting machines. Throughout the process, the organization relied heavily on the testimony of multiple cybersecurity experts who claimed they identified vulnerabilities in the state’s voting technology. If these testimonies prove effective, it will not only sway the ruling in the favor of the plaintiffs but also lead to entirely new policies and impact the very way in which Georgia voters cast their ballots as early as this year.

The Challenges of Explaining Cybersecurity in the Courtroom

While there is no denying the growing importance of cybersecurity experts in modern-day disputes, it is also important to note that many challenges still exist in presenting highly technical arguments and/or evidence in a court of law.

Perhaps most notably, there remains a significant gap in both legal and technological language, as well as in the knowledge and understanding of cybersecurity professionals and judges, lawyers, and the juries tasked with parsing particularly dense information. In other words, today’s trial teams need to work carefully with cybersecurity experts to develop communication strategies that adequately illustrate their arguments but do not result in unnecessary confusion or a misunderstanding of the evidence being presented. Visuals are a particularly useful tool in helping both litigators and experts explain complex topics while also engaging decision-makers.

Depending on the nature of the data breach or cybercrime in question, you may be tasked with replicating a digital event to support your specific argument. In many cases, this can be incredibly challenging due to the evolving and multifaceted nature of modern cyberattacks, and it may require extensive resources within the time constraints of a given matter. Thus, it is wise to use every tool at your disposal to boost the power of your team—including custom expert witness sourcing and visual advocacy consultants.

What You Should Look for in a Cybersecurity Expert

Determining the qualifications of a cybersecurity expert is highly dependent on the details of each individual case, making it critical to identify an expert whose experience reflects your precise needs. For example, a digital forensics specialist will offer an entirely different skill set than someone with a background in data privacy regulations and compliance.

Making sure an expert has the relevant professional experience to assess your specific cybersecurity case is only one factor to consider. In addition to verifying education and professional history, you must also assess the expert’s experience in the courtroom and familiarity with relevant legal processes. Similarly, expert witnesses should be evaluated based on their individual personality and communication skills, as they will be tasked with conveying highly technical arguments to an audience that will likely have a difficult time understanding all relevant concepts in the absence of clear, simplified explanations.

Where to Find the Most Qualified Cybersecurity Experts

Safeguarding the success of your client or firm in the digital age starts with the right expertise. You need to be sure your cybersecurity expert is uniquely suited to your case and primed to share critical insights when the stakes are high.

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The Supreme Court Is Poised to Weigh in on a False Claims Act Circuit Split

Three pending petitions for writ of certiorari have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve a split among the federal courts of appeals as to the pleading standard for False Claims Act (“FCA”) whistleblower claims.

The FCA creates a right of action whereby either the government or private individuals can bring lawsuits against actors who have defrauded the government. 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 et seq. Under the FCA, a private citizen can act as a “relator” and bring an action on behalf of the government in what is known as a qui tam suit. The government can elect to intervene, which means participate, in the suit; if it does not, the relator can continue to litigate the case without the direct participation of the government. 31 U.S.C. § 3730. Private individuals can receive a portion of the action’s proceeds or settlement amount. 31 U.S.C. § 3730(d).

The petitions ask the Court to clarify the level of particularity required under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b) (“Rule 9(b)”) to plead a claim under the FCA. Rule 9(b) requires plaintiffs alleging “fraud or mistake” to “state with particularity the circumstances constituting fraud or mistake.”

Johnson v. Bethany Hospice and Palliative Care LLC, Case No. 21-462

In their petition for a writ of certiorari, the petitioners in Johnson asked the Supreme Court to take up the issue of whether Rule 9(b) requires FCA plaintiffs “who plead a fraudulent scheme with particularity to also plead specific details of false claims.” The Eleventh Circuit earlier affirmed the district court’s dismissal of an FCA claim based on the plaintiffs’ failure to plead “specific details about the submission of an actual false claim” to the government. Estate of Helmly v. Bethany Hospice & Palliative Care of Coastal Georgia, LLC, 853 F. App’x 496, 502-03 (11th Cir. 2021).

In particular, the relators alleged that several doctors purchased ownership interests in Bethany Hospice and Palliative Care, LLC (“Bethany Hospice”) and were allocated kickbacks for patient referrals through a combination of salary, dividends, and/or bonus payments.  Id. at 498. Among other allegations, the complaint alleged that both the relators had access to Bethany Hospice’s billing systems, and, based on their review of those systems and conversations with other employees, were able to confirm that Bethany Hospital submitted false claims for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement to the government.  Id. at 502.

The Eleventh Circuit held that the allegations were “insufficient” under Rule 9(b)’s heightened pleading standard for fraud cases.  Id. Even though the relators alleged direct knowledge of Bethany Hospice’s billing and patient records, their failure to provide “specific details” regarding the dates of the claims, the frequency with which Bethany Hospice submitted those claims, the amounts of the claims, or the patients whose treatment formed the basis of the claims defeated their FCA claim.  Id. In addition, the relators did not personally participate or directly witness the submission of any false claims.  Id. The Eleventh Circuit also found unpersuasive the relators’ argument that Bethany Hospice derived nearly all its business from Medicare patients, therefore making it plausible that it had submitted false claims to the government.  Id. “Whether a defendant bills the government for some or most of its services,” the Eleventh Circuit stated, “the burden remains on a relator alleging the submission of a false claim to allege specific details about false claims to establish the indicia of reliability necessary under Rule 9(b).”  Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). Because the relators did not do so here, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of the case.

United States ex rel. Owsley v. Fazzi Associates, Inc., Case No. 21-936

The Sixth Circuit took a similarly hardline approach in United States ex rel. Owsley v. Fazzi Associates, Inc., 16 F.4th 192 (6th Cir. 2021), ruling in favor of a strict interpretation of Rule 9(b).  The petition for a writ of certiorari in Owsley asks the Court to take up the same question as in Johnson.

In Owsley, the relator alleged that her employer used fraudulently altered data to make its patient populations seem sicker than they actually were in order to increase Medicare payments received from the government.  Id. at 195. The complaint “describe[d] in detail, a fraudulent scheme,” and alleged “personal knowledge of the billing practices employed in the fraudulent scheme.”  Id. at 196 (internal quotation marks omitted). But the Sixth Circuit ruled that these allegations were not enough under Rule 9(b). Instead, to bring a viable FCA claim, a relator’s complaint must identify “at least one false claim with specificity.”  Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). A relator can do that in one of two ways: first, by identifying a representative claim actually submitted to the government; or second, by alleging facts “based on personal knowledge of billing practices” that support a strong inference that the defendant submitted “particular identified claims” to the government.  Id. (emphasis in original). Here, though the relator alleged specific instances of fraudulent data – such as upcoding a patient with a leg ulcer to include a malignant cancer diagnosis – she did not identify particular claims submitted to the government.  Id. at 197. “[T]he touchstone is whether the complaint provides the defendant with notice of a specific representative claim that the plaintiff thinks was fraudulent.”  Id. The Owsley relator, the court held, failed to meet that critical touchstone.

Molina Healthcare v. Prose, Case No. 21-1145

The Seventh Circuit adopted a more flexible pleading standard in United States v. Molina Healthcare of Illinois, Inc., 17 F.4th 732 (7th Cir. 2021). As in Johnson and Owsley, the petition for a writ of certiorari asks the Court to weigh in on the Rule 9(b) standard under the FCA. It also presents an additional question about the requirements for an FCA claim under the implied false certification theory.

In Molina Healthcare, the relator brought an FCA claim against Molina Healthcare (“Molina”) for violating certain requirements of its Medicaid contract. The relator alleged that Molina, which had previously subcontracted with another entity for the provision of certain nursing home services, continued to collect payment for those services from the government even though it no longer provided them. Molina Healthcare, 17 F.4th at 736. Molina Healthcare received fixed payments from the government for different categories of patients. It received the highest per capita payment for patients in nursing facilities: $3,180.30.  Id. at 737-38. The relator alleged that Molina Healthcare knowingly continued to collect this rate from the government when it no longer provided a key service to nursing home patients.  Id.

The relator brought an FCA claim against Molina based on three theories of liability: (1) factual falsity (i.e., presenting a facially false claim to the government); (2) fraud in the inducement (i.e., misrepresenting compliance with a payment condition “in order to induce the government to enter the contract”); and (3) implied false certification (i.e., presenting a false claim with the “omission of key facts” instead of “affirmative misrepresentations”).  Id. at 740-741.

The Seventh Circuit held that the relator’s allegations satisfied Rule 9(b)’s pleading requirement under all three theories. First, as to factual falsity, the Court found that the relator provided sufficient information as to the “when, where, how, and to whom” Molina made the allegedly false representations.  Id. at 741. Though the relator did not have access to the defendant’s files, the information he provided “support[ed] the inference” that Molina had submitted false claims to the government.  Id. Second, as to fraud in the inducement, the Seventh Circuit found that the relator’s “precise allegations” regarding “the beneficiaries, the time period, the mechanism for fraud, and the financial consequences” again satisfied Rule 9(b)’s standard.  Id. at 741. The complaint also included details about Molina’s chief operating officer’s statements that indicated that Molina “never intended to perform the promised act that induced the government to enter the contract.”  Id. at 741-42.  Third, as to the implied false certification theory, the court found that the plaintiff adequately alleged that Molina knowingly omitted key material facts while submitting claims to the government.  Id. at 743-44.

The Supreme Court Invites Comment from the Solicitor General

Facing what appears to be a major circuit split, the Supreme Court invited the Solicitor General to file a brief “expressing the views of the United States” in Johnson in January 2022 and in Owsley in May 2022.

The Supreme Court invites the Solicitor General to comment on only a handful of the approximately 7,000 to 8,000 petitions for writ of certiorari that the Court receives in a year. In the 2021 Term, for example, the Solicitor General filed what it calls a “Petition Stage Amicus Brief” in only 19 cases. Four Justices must vote to issue an invitation to the Solicitor General.

The Solicitor General’s view on whether the Court should grant certiorari has often been extremely influential. In the 2007 Term, for example, the Court denied certiorari in every case in which the Solicitor General recommended that approach. By contrast, it granted certiorari in 11 out of the 12 cases in which the Solicitor General recommended a grant. More recent data confirm that the Solicitor General’s recommendations as to whether the Court should grant certiorari remain highly influential. One study found that between May 2016 and May 2017, the Supreme Court followed the Solicitor General’s recommended approach in 23 cases (85%). At the same time, even the act of requesting the views of the Solicitor General dramatically increases the chances that the Court will take up a case. For example, between the 1998 Term and 2004 Term, one study found that the Court was 37 times more likely to grant certiorari in cases where it had invited the Solicitor General to file an amicus brief.

The Solicitor General Urges the Court to Decline Review

On May 24, 2022, the Solicitor General filed its brief in Johnson; it has yet to comment on Owsley. The Solicitor General’s amicus brief in Johnson urges the Court to deny certiorari. The Solicitor General notes that certiorari might be warranted if the courts of appeals applied a rigid, per se rule that required relators to plead “specific details of false claims.” But instead, the brief argues that the courts of appeals have “largely converged” on an approach to FCA pleading requirements that allows relators “either to identify specific false claims or to plead other sufficiently reliable indicia” to support a “strong inference” that the defendant submitted false claims to the government. According to the Solicitor General, the “divergent outcomes” among the circuit courts are merely the result of those courts’ application of a “fact-intensive standard” to various distinct allegations.

The petitioners in Johnson filed a supplemental brief in response to the Solicitor General’s views. They argue that the Solicitor General misinterpreted the Eleventh Circuit’s pleading standard, which effectively requires a relator to allege specific details about false claims to survive a motion to dismiss. In other words, the petitioners argue that in the Eleventh Circuit, the Solicitor General’s “purported” rule that a relator can either allege details about specific false claims or identify reliable indica that false claims were presented are “one and the same.”

Though the Court did not invite the Solicitor General to comment in Molina Healthcare, the petitioners in that case also filed a supplemental brief in response to the Solicitor General’s amicus in Johnson. “Everyone but the Solicitor General agrees that the circuits are hopelessly divided over whether Rule 9(b) requires a relator to plead details of false claims,” the brief argues. The brief notes that the Third, Fifth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, and D.C. Circuits do not require plaintiffs to plead specific details of actual false claims; by contrast, the First, Second, Fourth, Sixth, Eighth, and Eleventh Circuits require relators to plead specific details. Accordingly, the brief urges the Supreme Court to resolve the “widely acknowledged circuit split” over Rule 9(b)’s pleading standards.

The Solicitor General has a history of urging the Court to reject certiorari in FCA cases. According to the petitioners’ supplemental brief in Molina Healthcare, since the 1996 Term, the Solicitor General has recommended against review in eleven out of the twelve FCA cases in which the Court invited the Solicitor General’s views. Still, the Court granted certiorari in three of the cases in which the Solicitor General recommended against review.

Given the Supreme Court’s apparent interest in the FCA pleading standard – as evidenced by its calls for the Solicitor General’s views in Johnson and Owsley – there is a chance that it will grant certiorari in at least one of the three cases pending before it. Depending on when the Solicitor General weighs in, the Court may decide to grant certiorari in the fall of 2022.

Any Supreme Court decision that clarifies the pleading standard for FCA cases will likely affect a relator’s ability to successfully litigate qui tam actions in which the government does not intervene more than in cases in which the government does intervene. When a relator files a qui tam action, the government investigates the alleged fraud. If it intervenes in that action, it can file a complaint to include evidence it has discovered in that investigation, allowing it to meet the more stringent version of the Rule 9(b) pleading standard. Relators, however, often do not have access to the same evidence that the government does, such as specific claims data, making it far harder for a relator to meet the more stringent version of pleading standard.

Until the Supreme Court decides to weigh in, qui tam relators will continue to have an easier time satisfying the requirements of Rule 9(b) in those circuits with relaxed pleading standards. In the meantime, and whether the Court takes one of these petitions or not, any FCA whistleblower should seek legal counsel to help her identify the type of factual information that would meet the pleading requirements of the courts that apply a strict pleading requirement.

Article By Kayla Morin of Katz Banks Kumin LLP

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U.S. Supreme Court Agrees with HHS Payment Methodology for Disproportionate Share Hospitals

The fight about how Medicare compensates disproportionate share hospitals (“DSH”) is one of the longest-running reimbursement disputes of recent years, and it has generated copious work for judges around the country.  In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court settled one piece of the conflict:  the counting of “Medicare-entitled” patients in the Medicare fraction of the “disproportionate-patient percentage.”  Becerra v. Empire Health Found., 597 U.S. ___ (2022) (slip op.).  The Supreme Court concluded that the proper calculation, under the statute, counts “individuals ‘entitled to [Medicare] benefits[,]’ . . . regardless of whether they are receiving Medicare payments” for certain services.  Id. (slip op., at 18) (emphasis added).

DSH payments are made to hospitals with a large low-income patient mix.  “The mark-up reflects that low-income individuals are often more expensive to treat than higher income ones, even for the same medical conditions.”  Id. (slip op., at 3).  The federal government thus gives hospitals a financial boost for treating a “disproportionate share” of the indigent population.

The DHS payment depends on a hospital’s “disproportionate-patient percentage,” which is basically the sum of two fractions: the Medicare fraction, which reflects what portion of the Medicare patients were low-income; and the Medicaid fraction, which reflects what portion of the non-Medicare patients were on Medicaid.  Historically, HHS calculated the Medicare fraction by including only patients actually receiving certain Medicare benefits for their care.  In 2004, however, HHS changed course and issued a new rule.  It counted, in the Medicare fraction, all patients who were eligible for Medicare benefits generally (essentially, over 65 or disabled), even if particular benefits were not actually being paid.  For most providers, that change resulted in a pay cut.

The new rule sparked several lawsuits.  Hospitals challenged HHS’s policy based on the authorizing statutory language.  These hospitals essentially argued in favor of the old methodology.  Appeals led to a circuit split, with the Sixth and D.C. Circuits agreeing with HHS, and the Ninth Circuit ruling that HHS had misread the statute.

The Supreme Court has now resolved the issue.  The majority opinion, authored by Justice Kagan, sided with HHS.  The majority concluded that, based on the statutory language, “individuals ‘entitled to [Medicare] benefits’ are all those qualifying for the program, regardless of whether they are receiving Medicare payments for part or all of a hospital stay.”  Id. (slip op., at 18).  The majority also explained that if “entitlement to benefits” bore the meaning suggested by the hospital, “Medicare beneficiaries would lose important rights and protections . . . [and a] patient could lose his ability to enroll in other Medicare programs whenever he lacked a right to [certain] payments for hospital care.”  Id. (slip op., at 11).

Justice Kavanaugh dissented, joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Gorsuch and Alito.  The dissent argued that those lacking certain Medicare coverage should be excluded from HHS’s formula, based on “the most fundamental principle of statutory interpretation: Read the statute.”  Id. (Kavanaugh, J., dissenting) (slip op., at 2).  According to the dissent, the majority’s ruling will also restrict hospitals’ ability to provide care to underprivileged communities.  “HHS’s misreading of the statute has significant real-world effects: It financially harms hospitals that serve low-income patients, thereby hamstringing those hospitals’ ability to provide needed care to low-income communities.”  Id. (slip op., at 4).

There was one point of agreement among the majority and dissenting justices: the complexity of the statutory language for DSH payments.  Echoing the thoughts often held by healthcare advisors, Justice Kagan found the statutory formula to be “a mouthful” and “a lot to digest.”  Id. (majority opinion) (slip op., at 4).  And in his dissent, Justice Kavanaugh called the statute “mind-numbingly complex,” and resorted to an interpretation that he found “straightforward and commonsensical”: that patients cannot be “simultaneously entitled and disentitled” to Medicare benefits.  Id. (Kavanaugh, J., dissenting) (slip op., at 1, 3).

Article By Jeffrey DeBeer and Keith Bradley of Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP

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Ohio Court of Appeals Affirms $30 Million Libel Verdict Against Oberlin College

The Ohio Court of Appeals affirmed a judgment in excess of $30,000,000 against Oberlin College, holding that Oberlin was responsible for libelous statements made during the course of a student protest. Gibson Bros., Inc. v. Oberlin College, 2022 WL 970347 (Ohio Ct. App. March 31, 2022). The court’s rationale, if followed elsewhere, could lead to significantly broader institutional and corporate liability for statements by students and employees.

The case arose out of an incident in which an employee of the Gibson Brothers Bakery and Food Mart accused a black student of shoplifting, and then pursued and held the student until police arrived. Over the next few days, large groups of student protestors gathered outside the bakery and among other things handed out a flyer describing the incident as an “assault,” and stating that the bakery had a “long account of racial profiling and discrimination.” The day following the incident, the student senate passed a resolution calling for a boycott. It likewise described the incident as an assault on the student and stated that the bakery had a “history of racial profiling and discriminatory treatment of students….” The resolution was emailed to the entire campus and posted on the senate bulletin board, where it remained for over a year. The court found the statements to be factually untrue, because the student pled guilty to the shoplifting charge and admitted racial profiling did not occur, and the College presented no evidence of any past racial profiling or instances of discrimination at the bakery.

The court acknowledged that there was no evidence that Oberlin participated in drafting the flyer or the student senate resolution. Instead, the court found Oberlin liable on the theory that one who republishes a libel, or who aids and abets the publication of a libelous statement, can be liable along with the original publisher. As to the flyer, the court cited the following as evidence sufficient to support a jury finding that Oberlin had either republished or aided and abetted its publication:

  • Oberlin’s Dean of Students attended the protests as part of her job responsibilities;
  • the Dean of Students handed a copy of the flyer to a journalist who had not yet seen it and told students they could use a college copier to make more copies of the flyer;
  • the associate director of a multicultural resource center was seen carrying a large number of flyers, which he appeared to be distributing to others to redistribute to the public; and
  • the College provided a warming room with coffee and pizza at a site near the protests.

As to the student senate resolution, the court cited:

  • the senate was an approved organization;
  • the College created the senate’s authority to adopt and circulate the resolution;
  • the senate faculty moderator was the Dean of Students; and
  • despite having knowledge of the content of the resolution, neither the President nor the Dean of Students took any steps to require or encourage the student senate to revoke the resolution or to remove it from the bulletin board.

The court then held that despite the publicity the bakery received once the dispute arose, at the time of the protests and resolution the bakery and its owners were private persons, not public figures. Thus, the bakery only had to show that Oberlin had been negligent, rather than that it acted with reckless indifference as to the truth or falsity of the statements published.

Particularly in these polarized times, university administrators should be aware of and take steps to manage legal risks when external disputes become the subject of campus discussion and activism. Student organizations, faculty and administrators should be reminded that, to the extent they participate in protests or other public commentary outside their official roles, they should make clear they are acting for themselves and not the institution. Institutional responses to causes espoused by students or faculty need to be carefully vetted to assure that any factual assertions about third parties are accurate.

Article By Barry P. Kaltenbach and Robert T. Zielinski of Miller Canfield

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IMS Insights Podcast: Episode 18-Tips From the “Hot Seat” for Remote Hearings and Court Events Amid the Pandemic

In this episode of the IMS Insights Podcast, we speak with trial presentation advisor Jeff Dahm about his perspective as a hot seat operator and his role during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teresa Barber: So, Jeff, tell me, we’re in a really interesting time and you mentioned this just a couple of moments ago that so many people are in very new environments. We’re having very high stakes meetings and events but in a totally virtual environment and you were talking about other folks in the industry who have those hot seat trial presentation skills for attorneys, for clients, what should they be … I mean are there things that a traditional trial presentation consultant could do right now that can help attorneys feel a little more confident, a little more prepared when they’re going into those virtual meetings, virtual events?

Jeff Dahm: Sure, sure. Trial presentation consultants are quite familiar with the way the video conferencing software works. Call them up, have them assist you in the video conferencing platform. Have them help you make sure that everything works. Schedule a Zoom meeting with your trial presentation consultant to run through a program, make sure it looks good on the other end. Hire them, send them the PowerPoint, run the PowerPoint and you watch it click through, so you can see what the client … What the judge is going to see, what the other opposing counsel is going to see. Just like in a war room, you do run throughs, run throughs and run throughs but good attorneys that know what it’s about, practice because they look effortless in court because they practice and you should do the same thing with your consultant if you have an online hearing. Practice.

Dahm: I mean you would need to practice in person, you’re going to want to practice with an online hearing. It’s very important. So, they can help you with that. Make sure that if you want to show something in OnCue or Trial Director, make sure that the documents come up right. Make sure the video looks good. If you have to show video clips in your hearing, the trial presentation consultant can help you edit those clips, get them together, organize them. I mean there’s a lot of stuff that happens in trial that’s technical that doesn’t actually happen in the trial. It happens before the trial and you still have those things that are going to have to happen and the trial presentation consultant can help you with those.

Barber: Nice. Yeah, interesting. Yeah, and I would imagine, let’s say we’re in a virtual environment or a virtual hearing that stuff is very visible, right? If there’s a glitch in something.

Dahm: Yeah, you’ve got to be smooth. There’s little things like when you press … When you start the PowerPoint, that you don’t have the speaker view on the screen, you have to switch. I mean there’s a seamless operation that a good trial tech does in court and the same seamless operation can happen in the online hearing and it’s the same sort of method to keep things running smooth just like you do in a courtroom.

Barber: Yup, very interesting. So, without disclosing anything confidential, you’ve had a very lengthy career, Jeff, a lot of interesting trials, a lot of interesting moments. Without disclosing anything confidential, could you share maybe a moment where you would be especially proud of what you were able to contribute and the outcomes that you were able to bring?

Dahm: Sure, sure. So, I would say, I think about all of these years I’ve been doing this and the moments that stand out and for me, in a court … I mean I have some pretty dramatic, crazy things that have happened but the most effective and the most jaw dropping moments are when you impeach a witness on the stand and when you play a video clip that shows that they contradicted themself on the video, that is truly one of the most effective moments in a trial to win. You have an expert witness up there who’s very cocky, who thinks they know everything and thinks they read their deposition and has everything right and they put their story wrong together and as a trial presentation consultant, I have these video clips, impeachment clips lined up, ready to go and for me, it’s the most important part of my job and I instill this in all of my trial techs is that you need to make sure you bring up that impeachment clip fast in order for the effectiveness of it and it’s crucial.

Dahm: If a witness is on the stand and they say X and I have a video clip that says Y and my client asks for it, boom, it’s got to come up in seconds to get the effective … And if you do that, you really do have the best chance of discrediting a witness you really want to. I mean it’s not pleasant always, it’s a little uncomfortable at times but it’s the most effective moment in a trial, I believe.

Dahm: I also have a couple of random little stories of things that have happened to me.

Barber: Yeah, I was going to ask you, 23 years sitting in court, in trials, you’ve spent more time in courtrooms than most attorneys would have, and you’ve got to have some stories. Are there any moments that standout to you?

Dahm: There are a couple of them here. So, I was involved in this case in like 2001, 2002, early on in my career. It was a dog mauling in San Francisco, and there was a woman who was mauled. It was a terrible, terrible story and we worked with the district attorney’s office to help prosecute these people that have these dogs and so I was in the courtroom. The trial was on Court TV. It was like a big case and then the defense counsel gets up and she stands up and she gets on the floor and starts barking like a dog, in the middle of the courtroom, and the whole place is like going crazy barking like a dog. Okay, so I do my presentation and my mother was watching at home and I talked to her afterwards and she said, “Now, I finally understand what you do for a living.” She couldn’t get it before.

Dahm: I’m like, “Yeah, I go into court, help display evidence.” But she saw me on TV. She saw the attorney barking like a dog and she’s like, “Now, I kind of get what you do.”

Barber: Oh, my goodness.

Dahm: Another big moment for me was I did a trial for a Pueblo in New Mexico to try and get land back from the government under aboriginal Indian title. It was a truly amazing case and it was incredible and one of the witnesses was one of the medicine men from the Pueblo and he got up on the stand and he led the whole entire congregation in the courtroom in a prayer and they were all in a chanting prayer and it was so overwhelmingly amazing and beautiful and I couldn’t believe that I got to be a part of this, sitting in a federal courtroom. It was pretty amazing. And at the end of that trial, they gave me a piece of pottery that they make, the Pueblo makes this pottery, and it’s truly one of my most prized possessions. It was just a fantastic trial. I really enjoyed it.

Barber: Sounds like some moments definitely stay with you.Dahm: Yeah, yeah, but you get the big moments like you get to go to some event. I sat … You get court side at a game as like a thank you, like flying on a plane. You end up in these crazy moments in this job that you don’t even expect and you’re like oh my gosh, this is really happening. I’m just the trial tech but trial tech is a very important part of the whole process, so it’s just been a great 25 years for me. It’s been really good.

Barber: Yeah. It sounds really interesting and I have to say too, you’re working with really impressive attorneys too quite a bit and how clients certainly have to have shaped your mindset, your approach to everything. What role have clients played in how your career’s developed?

Dahm: Yeah, so I started early on in my career working with a firm, Keker, Van Nest & Peters, and they were … I got in on some cases early on and I started working with the whole firm and just there … Seeing their work ethic and their passion for their job and they were all just dynamic people who were so effective in a courtroom and fun people, fun people to be around and so great at their jobs and I saw this early on in my career and I was like I want to be like this.

Dahm: So, I sort of modeled my work ethic and my career path based on the way that this firm has done their work and it’s been a really, really great experience for me working with them and also just learning so much about just the law and being in court and working on a team and working effectively on a team. I mean these are some values that I learned from them that I really, really take that from every part of my life. It’s been really, really great for me. So, I thank them immensely for what they’ve done for me.

Barber: That kind of mindset too makes it a little more … I mean it makes it fun, right? You kind of get that back when you put it into your work.

Dahm: Yeah. It’s been fantastic, yeah.

Barber: We were talking a moment ago about nearly 25 years in the industry working in trials, working as a trial presentation consultant, you’ve seen a lot of trials and certainly, that truth makes it over to clients, to attorneys. Do you ever have clients who stop you during trial or kind of pull you to the side and want your opinion? How does that work?

Dahm: I find that the clients that ask my opinion and the clients that want to know what the trial tech thinks are the clients that tend to win. I mean you have this invaluable resource sitting right there in the courtroom that has sat through a lot of trials. I mean let’s say … I mean I’ve sat through hundreds of them because I’ve been doing this for 25 years but even somebody who’s only done it 10 years, five years, they still have more experience than most attorneys in a courtroom. I wrote an article a few years ago about view from the hot seat, showing what the hot seat operator, the five most important things that a hot seat operator can tell a client to win and I tell you, I stand by those.

Dahm: It’s just you get so much just from sitting in a courtroom and I pay attention. I mean I follow the cases. I mean you have to if you’re going to be helping bringing up evidence because when they turn around and say can you bring up the statute, they don’t always say exhibit 55, you have to know what the statute is. So and they do ask my opinion and I give my opinion quite candidly whenever I am asked because it doesn’t help anybody to not tell the truth in these situations so I just tell it like it is, say you’re not going to win that argument, you need to try this different and they really do appreciate it and then a few clients, it turns into like a half an hour session at the end of every single day of court, “Okay, Jeff, what about this client? What about this witness? What happened here? What do you think with this judge? What about this ruling?” And I give my opinion and trust me, I have them.

Barber: Like a debrief?

Dahm: Yeah, that’s exactly. You sit in court 25 years, you have an opinion on everything that happens in that courtroom and it tends to run … Cases tend to run similar, even though the details are different but the cases generally run at the same flow so I could help with that. I help with the flow. I help with the cadence. I help with the message and making sure they’re getting a clean, simple, effective message to the jury and that’s how you win.

Barber: Right, which yeah, great way to boil it down to the fundamentals too. That’s an interesting segue here because there are attorneys who feel that they’ve kind of got the bases covered. That they have a paralegal who’s really talented who may be able to be the hot seat operator at their trial. Is that an effective strategy most of the time from what you’ve seen?

Dahm: So, no. Well, I shouldn’t say no overall because if you have a case that has 50 exhibits, small case, not much going on in the case, two or three day case and you don’t have any depo, I don’t see any reason why a good paralegal that you trust could run the show. Those are not the cases for trial presentation consultants as much. You have a big case, you have a heavy load, you have a lot of video depositions, you have multiple things to handle, then you’re going to want to have a trial presentation consultant in there because your paralegal’s going to have a lot to do too in a heavy evidence case. They’re going to have a lot of copying, a lot of binders, a lot of things to submit to the court, I mean filings. I mean there’s just so much for the paralegal to do and you can also …

Dahm: The trial presentation consultant becomes a part of your team, so there’s another person that goes in the whole collective group and if the case can afford it, you should always do it because you will find at the end of it that you were like wow, that was amazing because you have this sort of … This like nirvana that happens in court when you call out exhibits and they come on the screen. I’ve heard clients talk about this nirvana and they say it’s like you’re reading my mind but that’s just a good trial tech doing the good job in the courtroom and the paralegal is focused on being a paralegal. All we’re focused on is bringing the stuff up in court and bringing it up fast and effectively and that is hard to do. It may seem easy but it’s not.

Barber: Yeah, and I was going to say it sounds like there’s a level of kind of perspective and expertise that comes to that. You cannot put that kind of responsibility on a paralegal to bring all of that depth of experience of being in … Like you said, you’ve had hundreds of trials, that perspective adds a level of what should really build confidence in the client to be able to trust, to be able to say, “Okay, I’m going to focus on the strategy. I’m going to focus on telling that story and then lean on the expertise and the perspective of Jeff or my trial presentation consultant who’s here with me.”

Dahm: Yeah, it is a luxury. I mean it can be a luxury if you don’t have the means but if you do have the means, it’s a necessity because it makes your case run smoother and you … Everything that gets on that screen, I mean just think about this, every single thing you put on the screen is so important. It is so important to the end result of the case, what goes on that screen and someone who has the experience to put it on the screen in an effective manner is going to make you win your case. I mean it’s just that simple. I mean not always but it definitely helps. If jurors can see the way it looks and it looks pretty and it looks good and it’s easy to adopt, they’re going to adopt it.

Barber: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Dahm: So, it’s interesting.

Barber: What I want to ask you too, we’re starting to see some courts reopening but even … And businesses reopening and some restrictions kind of easing related to the pandemic but even with a lot of restrictions lifting and some courts starting to move forward with physical schedules, we’re going to have people who aren’t able to travel. So, when we think about witnesses, we’re going to see witnesses unable to travel. How do you think courts are going to handle that and what advice would you have for attorneys right now?

Dahm: Sure. So, I’ve dealt with this issue for years. I’ve dealt with it at least a few times a year for years and so what happens is you have a witness that can’t travel and they want to remotely testify and so they call me and they say how can we have a witness testify remote? So, I go through the whole thing, explaining how we can put … Have a camera where they’re at, you have a camera in the courtroom … You put the signal into a projector in the courtroom. You can display the person live and you can put documents next to it. So, I have figured out logistics to get this done and then almost every single time, when they propose it to the judge, the judge says no, they have to testify, they have to come or you play a deposition. That’s going to change.

Dahm: So, now, all this preparation that I have done over the years to figure out how to get a live feed in the courtroom and how to show exhibits while it’s going on the screen, all that work is done. I have it ready to go. So, if a client calls me and they need to have a witness testify remote, we are ready to go.

Barber: Yeah, definitely interesting. It certainly makes you wonder how much of the historical cultural hesitance we’ve had about virtual versus in-person that I think COVID, if nothing else, may be wearing some of that down.

Dahm: And with all the testing I’ve done, with all the software, I’ve tested OnCue, I’ve tested Trial Director, I’ve tested PowerPoint. I’ve tested anything you would want to just use to display in a courtroom and it all works online. It all works in the virtual hearing and you should be using it because the case is just as important even though you’re not there. We could have a witness testifying remote. I mean there’s really no limits, I don’t think, at this point. With all of our years of using video conferencing software in my industry and then now we have to apply it to trial tech and trial presentation, bring it on because we are ready to go.

Barber: Yeah, very interesting, Jeff.

Dahm: It’s exciting too. It’s really exciting for me too because it’s like I have such a passion for trial presentation and then to be able to do it in a new method, in a new platform, in a new way is just so exciting because it’s like I feel very comfortable online and I know my techs do too, feel very comfortable in the Zoom meeting or a Skype call. I can share screens, switch back and forth, I mean it’s not hard for me because that’s what I’ve done in the courtroom for 25 years. So, I’m really excited to be able to do all of this stuff and I’m sitting at home now. It’s just, it’s great for me. So just got to have people realize that it is as important as it was.

Barber: Yeah, and reach out for help, right? Because I think not everyone shares your sense of comfort with it and I think that it’s just kind of interesting to make those connections that I think there are attorneys who could use some help right now just to get that confidence in this weird new normal of the remote world.

Barber: So, Jeff, it’s been really interesting having you on today. Wonderful to hear your really interesting perspective about the current situation and also just learn as little bit more about what you’re bringing to the table and your background.

Dahm: Great, yeah. Thanks for having me, Teresa. Yeah, this has been really fascinating. I just love explaining how trial presentation works and what we can do and it’s just … As I said, it’s my passion and I just enjoy talking about it, so I could talk about it with you for another couple of hours. It’s just …

Barber: Well, we may take you up on that, Jeff. So, we’ll have you back sometime soon. So thank you. I really appreciate it. Thanks, Jeff.

Dahm: Thanks, Teresa.

© Copyright 2002-2020 IMS ExpertServices, All Rights Reserved.
ARTICLE BY IMS ExpertServices.
For more on trials amid the pandemic, see the National Law Review Litigation / Trial Practice section.

IMS Insights Podcast: Episode 16-How Attorneys Can Leverage Trial Presentation Consultants to Advance Cases Amid COVID-19

In this episode of the IMS Insights Podcast, we speak with trial presentation advisor Jeff Dahm about utilizing trial presentation consultants amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Teresa Barber: Jeff, I want to welcome you. Thank you for being our guest today on the IMS Insights Podcast.

Jeff Dahm: Great. Thanks for having me.

Barber: Tell us a little bit about your background. How did you first become interested in trial presentation?

Dahm: Well, I graduated from college in 1996 and I got a job. I went to the career center. There was no internet in ’96, so I got a job. I went to the career center, found a job at a jury consulting firm as a research analyst and I didn’t know really much about the law and I definitely hadn’t been in a courtroom at that point in my life but I went right in and I worked for a pretty prominent jury consultant setting up jury research projects around the country and it was really fascinating. It was new for me. I didn’t know anything about this and I knew it was for me. I mean I was always a very technical person. I was always setting up computers and helping people with their stuff and their computers and on the emerging edge of computers always but I didn’t really work in computers then.

Dahm: So, when I was working at this jury consulting firm, there was a woman who had her boyfriend was starting up a company that did trial presentation. Well, I didn’t know what trial presentation was, so she’s like, “I know you’d be great with him. Why don’t you go meet him?” So, I went to his office and met him and they hired me and then I started being … Working in trial presentation. So, it was … I made the shift from jury consulting. I mean I knew I liked trial consulting for sure. I knew it was a job for me, I just didn’t think that the jury consulting job was the right fit at that point in my career. So, I used all my technical skills and got this job and so what we did was we started doing trial presentation around the country and it was pretty new in the early 90s.

Dahm: In the mid-90s, it was really new. I mean there wasn’t a lot of trial presentation. It’s like I always had this desire to perform and to be on stage but I have no talent. I can’t sing and I can’t dance but I knew this was my performance. This was my way to be performing because I was really technical and I was really good at being technical and being good under pressure. So, when I started doing this, this satisfied my performance itch that I’ve always had and I loved it and it was just great and I knew that this was going to be my career.

Barber: I was going to say, it sounds like you walked right into the fire and at a really early stage and-

Dahm: I did.

Barber: That role, so there really wasn’t a whole lot of … In terms of best practices and models, you’ve really had to be there at the forefront for a lot of that.

Dahm: Yeah, it was really exciting. It was just … I graduated with a degree in environmental analysis and design and thought I was going to save the world and all of a sudden, I’m in this new career and I was like wow, this is exciting. Traveling the country, setting up courtrooms, working with attorneys. I mean I was 23 years old and this was truly exciting for me. I mean it was just … I was over the moon about this job, this new job I had.

Barber: So, kind of the nexus too of technology, which is a passion, right? And then like you said that so much on the line for presentation in the middle of a trial. What exactly … And I’m sure that it’s evolved too, right? Since the mid-90s, late 90s to today, what are the fundamentals? What does a trial … A hot seat consultant, a trial technician do?

Dahm: Sure. Well, as a basis that hasn’t changed in the 25 years I’ve been in the business, what hasn’t changed is that you’re putting on a show and you’re responsible for everything that the jury and the judge see and it’s a big, big responsibility but that’s your job and so your job is to organize the evidence in your trial presentation software and help the attorney put together the show that you’re going to put on in the courtroom. So, you’ve got to do run throughs, you practice the night before. You make sure you have all of your highlights ready. You make sure you have your deposition clips. It’s putting together any sort of evidence that you would ever need to show a jury and organizing it and being able to call it up really fast in the courtroom and that really hasn’t changed much over the 25 years. That’s the job.

Dahm: I mean sometimes you do less, clients want to do more. Sometimes you do a lot more. Sometimes you’re full throttle. Sometimes you just set it up for them and they go on their own, but it just depends. It’s just all-encompassing in trial for the evidence.

Barber: Very interesting. It sounds like there’s a lot that leads up to it, right? It’s not just showing up and-

Dahm: No.

Barber: You’re putting a presentation forward, how important is a focused strategy for trial presentation? Does that matter?

Dahm: Yeah. Oh sure. I mean every trial presentation consultant has their own sort of method of operation that they do. For me, it’s getting in with the client very early, making sure that they know that I’m here to help them and I’m going to take care of everything, being very organized with anything they give you that they request that you want, you reply back fast. You have to reply fast. You have to get the work done quick and you have to be very efficient and also, you have to be able to speak to attorneys very well. So, that’s the key is you have to be able to roll right into their world and be able to talk and work just as though you were one of them.

Dahm: So, you’re going to different attorneys all around and everybody has different work styles and so the key of a great trial presentation consultant is to be able to meld into the trial team that you’re working with and that is the most important thing. I now schedule a lot of trial techs for courtroom trials and what’s really important in a strategy is a culture fit, to make sure that this tech fits in with you, that you kind of click because I find that the clients that I do the best job for, I click with them. There’s just like a bond, kind of like something you can’t explain like when you meet someone, you click, if you click, then you’re great but I can also make myself click if I have to and that’s the differentiation in a great trial presentation consultant is you blend in, you make yourself blend in in order to let them trust you so that you can be effective in court.

Barber: I was going to say because there’s a lot of trust that gets put in you or in a trial consultant technician because there’s … Really, that attorney has to be able to say, okay, I know that this needs to appear at this point and you’ve got to be able to pick up those cues, so that’s really interesting to have.

Dahm: You have to be able to click, yeah there has to be trust, you’re right. You’re so right that trust is key. Your whole case, their whole case kind of depends on you, what comes up on the screen. So, when you meet these clients the first time, you have to come in there showing them that you can command the room, you can command a presentation and you can get the job done and those are the really key things that I look for in consultants too when we’re placing them with attorneys is they have to be forward. They have to be forward thinkers. They have to be proactive people because those are the ones that do the best in court.

Barber: Yeah. And I want to ask you too, because we’re here, Jeff, in the middle of summer 2020 and we are in a … Really, in a lot of ways, what’s an unprecedented time, a lot of concern everywhere for colleagues, for communities dealing with COVID-19. It’s also the pandemic, we have a global pandemic, placed an unprecedented amount of stress on the court system and we’ve even seen remote trials popping up. First, it was remote hearings, lately remote trials in some places like throughout California. Can you talk to me a little bit about what you’ve been seeing from clients, what you’ve been hearing from the ground and how important it might be for a dedicated trial presentation consultant or someone with that expertise when you’re thinking about what that completely visual and virtual setting … Can you talk to me about what you’re hearing?

Dahm: Yeah, so as I’m sure everybody has realized in the past few months being at home is that most people are not fully comfortable with the scenario of talking to people over a video conference. It’s not natural. It could be exhausting. There’s a lot of other layers that people don’t realize that come with that. As a consultant working around the country, I have been and trial presentation consultants have been working in video conferences, working at this method for years now and this is a very comfortable place for us to be. This is … And also, when you are presenting, because … Okay, so courtrooms that … Most courtrooms are now pushing towards having Zoom hearings, having Skype hearings. This is a really, really common thing that’s happening more and more and I tell you, if a courtroom is not doing it now, they’re going to be doing it soon.

Dahm: This is the way of the immediate future for the next few years and you need to be prepared and when you’re giving an argument, just like in court, there’s a lot of things to think about beyond your argument and you should let a consultant handle that for you. Let your trial presentation consultant run your PowerPoint. You have to let them help and we can display in a video conference the same as we can in court. You can put things up. You can share the screen and this is something that trial techs and trial presentation consultations are good at, manipulating multiple different views for things to go on the screen, coordinating with people and tech. I mean this is our wheelhouse. So, you are doing yourself a huge favor by having the trial presentation consultant on a call for you in a hearing. I mean it’s invaluable as far as I can see.

Barber: Yeah, I was going to ask you, so it sounds like some of the same principles that you apply in trial presentation in a physical courtroom, how, can you talk to us about how you apply those fundamentals and those principles to help clients prepare and move cases along right now?

Dahm: Sure. Well, and I’ve heard this from my clients too, the cases are not going away. Even though, the public … The in-person hearings are not happening, the cases aren’t going away. They’re still moving forward. You’re still going to have to go forward with your discovery. You have to … Your expert witness disclosures, I mean everything is still happening. So, it’s important that you use your trial consultants as you always would to help move your case forward. Send them your video if you have video depositions that need to be prepared. It still has to happen. Let’s say you have to submit your video deposition designations for your trial that’s in July, that still has to happen. These consultants, and we’re ready to go, we are ready to help you just like we always are when you got to be in court. We are just as ready to help you with your online hearing. I mean it’s just as important, so you should treat it that way.

Barber: And we’re seeing … We’re kind of touching on this, you mentioned like just a lot of hearings moving to Zoom or Skype and if we’re not seeing that now, brace for it because it’s coming. So, what tools and resources would you recommend right now for litigators or attorneys just preparing for a virtual in-court scenario, maybe don’t have one scheduled yet but want to be prepared?

Dahm: So, we are all doing our homework here on the presentation side. I know all the trial techs that we work with and also everybody at my firm, other consultants in general, we’re all doing our homework and we’re all making sure that you all can … That the attorneys can do all of their hearings online. I know that we’ve done a lot of Zoom hearings so far. I know that some consultants are creating a virtual courtroom scenario in order to have everybody log in. I mean there’s just … There’s really a lot of work been going on, on the consultant side to make it easier for clients when they do have the hearings. So, reach out to your consultants because they want to help you and they also know what’s happening. They know. They have their pulse on the industry, especially this ever-changing industry as we speak. So, they want to help you and they’re very, very eager to help. Trust me, I’m one of them.

Barber: Jeff, could you … Are you seeing anything about how you think that the pandemic is potentially affecting software that’s used in the firm and the platforms in the industry?

Dahm: Definitely, sure. So, trial presentation software has evolved over the years, but I feel like this is going to cause it to evolve even more. I mean I’ve been testing a lot of software, all of our software that we do use in court to see that it works on a Zoom hearing and it does but I feel like now, the trial presentation software, they’re going to start to create another layer in their software for online hearings because to make sure it’s not buggy because you are still doing a presentation over the internet through another platform and I would think that these trial presentation software companies are going to align with Zoom and create a software to present with Zoom. I mean these are things that I can see coming down the pipe that will be really exciting. I feel like this, as we know, necessity is the mother of invention and this is going to force companies that make trial presentation software to incorporate the video conferencing aspect to it to make it a little easier for us trial presentation consultants.

Dahm: I mean we can do it now. I can display a PowerPoint. I can click through. I mean I’m quite fluid with it on a video call because I do it all the time. I can click through OnCue. I’ve had a couple of Markman so far online that I was able to click through my documents, go back in my PowerPoint. It’s very fluid. However, I see there’s a couple of points that could be better and I know in the next six months, you’re going to start seeing PowerPoint coming out with online things in integrating into their online applications, same with OnCue, Trial Director, pretty much all these things that we use in court, they’re going to have to start talking to Zoom because I know they’re going to want to make it easier for everybody, which is great. So, it’s just really great but us consultants are on that pulse, so if anybody gives me a call, I can tell you what’s going on.

Barber: Hold on, I want to ask you, you raised that suggestion, thinking about the other hot seat operators, the industry, a lot of independent contractors that maybe don’t work with a firm like IMS or The Focal Point, what advice do you have for other folks in the industry right now with so many courts closed?

Dahm: Yeah, so you have to pivot your skills. I mean as a trial presentation consultant, you understand that you have certain skills. You can work under pressure. You can work technically under pressure. You can display evidence fast. I mean these are all things that are going to be needed to do in a video conference hearing too. Assisting in these online hearings is going to be crucial. I mean I think that since this is the beginning of this online hearing generation, clients are going to be slow to react at first, just like in general with the trial presentation consultant.

Dahm: You’re slow to bring people on and then once you have your first hearing and you realize that your PowerPoint is not displayed effectively, then you’re going to give us a call. So, also, a lot of independent trial presentation consultants can record online depositions. That’s a thing that I’ve seen a lot of trial techs that are getting into right now is to assist clients in online depositions. So that’s been a big thing for a couple of my consultants I work with too.

© Copyright 2002-2020 IMS ExpertServices, All Rights Reserved.

The Impeachment Process: Politics, Procedure and Next Steps

The US House of Representatives is set to vote this week on impeaching President Donald Trump, and the impeachment vote is expected to pass.  This will set the stage for the next step in the impeachment process;  the third-ever Senate impeachment trial.

We thought this would be a good time to recap the steps in the impeachment process to better understand, procedurally, how the impeachment case against President Trump reached this point, and what is expected next.  Also, we wanted to dig into some of the issues which have been brought up as problematic by the Republican minority in the House related to the impeachment process and the structure of the House hearings.

Jeffrey S. Robbins, a litigation partner at the Boston offices of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP, served as Chief Counsel for the Minority (the Democrats) for the United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Deputy Chief Counsel for the Minority for the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee during its 1997 investigation into allegations of fundraising improprieties by the Clinton-Gore Administration during the 1996 presidential campaign.  Mr. Robbins was kind enough to share his expertise on past congressional investigations to help sort through some of the procedural issues raised and help us understand if the process, so far, has proceeded in a usual manner.

NLR: Impeachment is a three-step process, beginning with an investigation in the house and then a vote on articles of impeachment, then a trial in the Senate. What kind of evidence is the House looking for during the investigation stage prior to voting on articles of impeachment?

Robbins: The House committees are looking for the strongest quantum of evidence possible that the President engaged in conduct which amounts to an identifiable “crime,” since a conservative reading of the Constitution holds that some form of crime, at least, is necessary for impeachment.

House Republicans have complained about the limited access to closed-door House impeachment investigation and depositions leading up to the House’s impeachment vote should all be public and the transcripts should be released. Access to the House’s investigative hearings has been limited to members of the three House committees involved– Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight, and Reform which have a majority of Democratic House Members but Republican committee members can participate in the investigation and question the parties being deposed. Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said private sessions are needed to prevent witnesses from hearing each other, the same protocol used by prosecutors in criminal investigations.  House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., called Schiff a liar and a partisan leading a witch hunt and that the venerable Intelligence Committee has become the partisan Impeachment Committee.

NLR: How much of the House’s investigation needs to be in the form of public hearings?

Robbins: There is no Constitutional requirement that impeachment hearings be public or private, but as a practical and a political matter, it is obvious that impeachment hearings need to be conducted in public; after all, building public support for impeachment is a sine qua non (an essential condition) of a vote to impeach, let alone a vote to convict. On the other hand, there is nothing remotely nefarious about what the Minority refers to as “closed door” depositions; Congressional investigations routinely utilize depositions, by definition closed to the public, as a device to ascertain which witnesses have relevant evidence and what that relevant evidence is, in order to assess the strength of a “case” and to more effectively organize any public hearings associated with the investigation.

Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said private sessions are needed to prevent witnesses from hearing each other. House and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said “I can’t even go down there and read the transcript,” alleging that Republicans have not been allowed to cross-examine the hearing witnesses, which is not accurate.

The reality is that Republicans have participated in each deposition, but their role is limited by the Democratic committee majority. Both Republicans and the Democrats get equal time to ask questions.  Forty-seven Republicans from the Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight Committees have been allowed to attend and participate in the depositions.

NLR: What actually goes on in Congressional hearings? What is the timeline between the hearings and the public testimony?

Robbins: From personal experience, I can tell you that the preparation to question witnesses in a Congressional investigation is an intense process, made all the more intense by the volume of material that has to be consumed in order to question effectively and by the shortage of time within which to consume it. Here, for example, there is a steady drumbeat of witnesses being called for deposition on only a few days’ notice to all concerned, and then only a week or so between the deposition and the public hearing. The process is made more intense by the fact that there are other staff lawyers, and Members, and communications experts, all of whom quite properly want to weigh in on the thrust of the questioning, the messaging of the questioning, and the like.

In the hearings, according to the Wall Street Journal, Adam Schiff opens with remarks and then invites a Republican counterpart to do the same.  Each party receives a block of time to ask questions, and a timekeeper keeps track and moves the proceedings along.  Rep. Mark Meadows (R., N.C.), told the Wall Street Journal that each party gets equal time.  “There is a clock, with a timekeeper,” he said.  Other Republicans, including Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania have been attending the hearings regularly.  Besides Mr. Schiff, Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, Eric Swalwell of California and Gerry Connolly of Virginia have been attending for the Democrats.  Eventually, the committee voted down party lines to advance the impeachment proceedings.

Complicating the evidence-gathering process is the lack of cooperation from the White House, including Trump administration officials defying subpoenas.  Per Adam Schiff, the White House isn’t cooperating and is defying several subpoenas, which Schiff predicted would be considered obstruction and additional evidence “of the wrongfulness of the President’s underlying misconduct.”  When the House Leadership unveiled the articles of impeachment on December 10, 2019, they first focused on the Trump’s pressuring of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden before the 2020 election by delaying a White House meeting and $400 million in US Security Aid, but the second focused on the obstruction related to the investigation into his misconduct.

NLR: What are the consequences if a witness refuses to testify at a hearing, or otherwise ignores a subpoena? 

Robbins: Under law, there are to be consequences to refusal to testify or disobedience of a subpoena to produce documents, in particular, contempt findings that are appropriately enforced by federal courts.

Mr. Schiff, accused by House minority Whip Steve Scalise of “…trying to impeach a president of the United States… behind closed doors,” pointed out that the president’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, pled guilty to lying to Congress out of loyalty to the president, and was recently sentenced to three years in prison as a result. Still, the White House has consistently refused to cooperate with the inquiry, citing executive privilege as justification to keep those subpoenaed from actually appearing under oath. Citing executive privilege is a not-uncommon tactic to prevent disclosure of goings-on at the top end of the executive branch, but it doesn’t always work well for those using it, and the privilege itself remains a cloudy legal concept.

NLR: What privileges, if any, can a witness assert?

Robbins: With respect to privileges, there are, of course, the “Big Three”: the attorney-client privilege, the Executive Privilege, and the Fifth Amendment. When those privileges are invoked, as a practical matter they are beyond being challenged, except in extreme circumstances, and for the purpose of this impeachment proceeding, where the time constraints are what they are, if they are invoked their invocation will effectively block disclosure of evidence.

There have been many examples of witnesses invoking their Fifth Amendment rights to avoid answering questions in Congressional hearings.  One prominent example is the case of Lt. Colonel Oliver North in the hearings around the Iran-Contra affair during Ronald Reagan’s presidency.

NLR: If the House votes to ratify the articles of impeachment, the Senate will hold a trial.  Who acts as a prosecutor in this instance, and who acts for the defense?  How is that determined?

Robbins: Since the House is the indicting authority, it will choose who presents the case for removal to the Senate. It will in all likelihood be one or more members of the House.

By way of reference, for President Andrew Johnson’s impeachment trial in 1868, an impeachment committee was made up of seven members of Congress, led by Thaddeus Stevens.  President Bill Clinton’s impeachment featured a team of thirteen House Republicans from the Judiciary Committee.

NLR: Why does the Supreme Court get involved in impeachment proceedings, and what is their role?

Robbins: As for the role of the Supreme Court, it is the Chief Justice who presides over the trial, per the Constitution, and it is he who will be involved in those proceedings, and not the full Court—at least this has not occurred in our limited experience with impeachment.

While it may seem plain that the Supreme Court would have a larger role in the impeachment proceedings, that’s not truly the case. The chief justice is, of course, given the power to preside of the Senate trial by the Constitution as a part of the doctrine of separation of powers – as Justice Joseph Story argued – removing the Vice President from Senate leadership to uphold the trial’s impartiality. Should there be a conviction in the Senate, and the convicted president were to try and engage the highest court, SCOTUS has already found that the Senate’s impeachment procedures are nonjusticiable, because of Article I’s designation of the Senate as the “sole power to try all impeachments” (Nixon v United States, 1993).

Many thanks to Mr. Robbins for his time and for helping break down these complex issues during a complicated time.

Copyright ©2019 National Law Forum, LLC

Cameras Coming to an Illinois Courtroom Near You: What Are the Rules and What Impact Might They Have

Heyl Royster Law firm

Probably everyone saw portions of the O.J. Simpson and George Zimmerman trials, because each was a high profile case broadcasted on live television. Now, cameras are coming to Illinois courtrooms.

In January 2012, the Illinois Supreme Court approved the use of“extended media coverage” in the courtrooms of judicial circuits that applied for such coverage and received approval. “Extended media coverage” essentially means the use of still cameras, video cameras, and audio recording. Over time, 40 Illinois counties have applied for and received approval to allow extended media coverage in their courtrooms.

Attorneys and clients must familiarize themselves with the applicable rules for extended media coverage, and must consider and prepare for the practical implications if cameras will be present at trial. While such media coverage will likely be limited to criminal cases in most instances, it will inevitably occur in high profile civil cases, including some medical malpractice cases. And, if extended media coverage proves to benefit one side or the other over time, attorneys representing those parties will undoubtedly push for more and more coverage.

Who or What is Considered “Media”?

Historically, the media may have been thought of as newspapers and television stations. Today, however, the term media may include biased blogs, social media, or other similar internet media that does not follow basic standards of journalism. Luckily, Illinois rules operate with a more historical definition of media, thus limiting who may request to cover the trial and hopefully ensuring a certain amount of fairness in reporting. In order to be credentialed under the rules, a media member or organization must be regularly engaged in news gathering and reporting, cover judicial proceedings on a consistent basis, and must regularly follow basic journalistic standards for ethics, accuracy and objectivity.

Request for Extended Media Coverage

Extended media coverage is not allowed as of right. Instead, a credentialed media member must make a written request and have that request granted by the court before extended media coverage is allowed. The request for media coverage must be made at least 14 days before the trial or hearing the media member wishes to cover. Further, the written request must be provided to all attorneys. The 14 day requirement allows the defense time to consider the request and make appropriate objections prior to the trial or hearing.

Objection to Extended Media Coverage

Objections to extended media coverage may be raised by the parties to the lawsuit and may also be raised by witnesses. In either case, a written objection is required, but the timing of the objection can differ for parties and witnesses. If a party, i.e. plaintiff or defendant, wishes to object, his written objection must be filed at least 3 days before the beginning of the trial or hearing. Witnesses must be advised by the attorney presenting their testimony of the right to object, and the witness must file his objection before the beginning of the trial or hearing. The rule also allows the judge to exercise discretion to consider objections that do not comport with the timing requirements.

Once an objection to extended media coverage has been made, the judge may rule on the basis of the written objection alone, or he may choose to hear evidence. At his discretion, the judge may choose to hear evidence from a party, witness, or media coordinator before ruling.

It would be inadvisable to object to media coverage in a trial where no member of the media has made a written request for coverage. Such a pre-emptive motion would be likely to draw media interest where none previously existed.

Technical Requirements and Sharing Equipment

Technical requirements for the cameras and other equipment are provided in the rules. The overall theme of these rules is to ensure that any equipment is not obstructive or disruptive during the trial or hearing. The equipment cannot produce distracting lights or noises during operation. Further, no flashbulbs or other lighting may be used to aid the cameras.

The rules limit the amount of equipment allowed in the courtroom, again with the overall goal of limiting obstructions and distractions. A maximum of two still cameras and two television cameras are allowed, but the judge may choose to limit that to only one still camera and one television camera. Only one audio recording system is permitted. Obviously, if multiple media outlets wish to cover the trial or hearing, they may be required to share the video and audio stream under the rules.

What May be Filmed or Photographed

Most trials and other hearings may be recorded, with exceptions limited mostly to the area of family law. Importantly though, several portions of the trial cannot be recorded. Jury selection cannot be recorded at all, and the media is forbidden from filming or photographing individual jurors or the jury as a whole. This is an important protection provided in the rule, because if a juror is assured that he cannot be recorded, the juror should feel less inclined to consider public opinion in deciding the case. Further, the media may not record interactions between the lawyer and client, between opposing lawyers, or between the judge and the lawyers, i.e. sidebars. And, no materials, papers or exhibits can be recorded unless they are admitted to evidence or shown to the jury. These limitations are obviously important to protect the confidential attorney-client relationship, among other things. Finally, no filming is allowed during recesses or in the public areas or hallways, which provides some known off-camera time.

Live Blogging

A judge also has discretion to allow live blogging during a trial or other proceeding, which does not include visual or audio recording. The most typical example of live blogging would be tweeting, but includes any transmittal in text form of testimony, proceedings, and summaries from the courtroom. Again, only credentialed news media are allowed to engage in live blogging.

The rule allowing for live blogging simply says that it may be allowed upon request. It does not provide a time-period within which the request must be made, and does not provide for objections. However, the decision to allow live blogging is left to the “absolute discretion” of the judge, and therefore, it seems reasonable that a judge would also be vested with the authority to allow objections and consider whatever he deems necessary. In any event, an objection can always be stated on the record, whether or not the judge chooses to consider it.

Required Jury Admonishment and Jury Instruction

Jurors cannot be photographed or filmed, with the apparent goal of minimizing any influence or consideration of public opinion. Carrying this theme further, the rules require the trial judge to read an admonishment to the jury at the beginning of the trial and an instruction to the jury at the conclusion of trial regarding the media coverage. Of course, the admonishment and instruction advise the jury that they should not be influenced by or draw inferences based upon the presence of the media. Also, importantly, the admonishment advises the jury they cannot be photographed or filmed as a group or individually, and it advises the jurors to inform the court if the cameras are distracting or cause an inability to concentrate.

Practical Considerations and Potential Effects

At the outset, the lawyer and client should consider whether they do or do not want cameras in the courtroom. In most cases, the defense would prefer cameras not be present so that the trial is focused exclusively on liability and damages, not extraneous issues. If a request for extended media coverage is made, the lawyer and client should ask themselves why the request is being made, and whether a written objection should be filed. If an objection will be filed, however, it should be based upon specific facts or concerns in that case. The Illinois Supreme Court and local judicial circuit have already determined, from a policy standpoint, that cameras should be allowed if the rules are complied with. Therefore, objections based upon general concerns that cameras may be disruptive or may have a negative impact on the jury are likely to fail.

Conclusion

While most defendants and their lawyers are opposed to cameras in the courtroom, it appears that they are here to stay for the foreseeable future. Given the national trend toward cameras in the courtroom and instantaneous media, it’s hard to imagine that these rules will ever be reversed. Therefore, attorneys and clients will need to carefully consider how to operate within the rules in a way that most favors the presentation of their case.

ARTICLE BY

Matthew Thompson
OF
Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen, P.C.

Today’s Tip for Commercial Litigators: Making a Legal Argument Versus Being Argumentative

Odin-Feldman-Pittleman-logo

Trials are the culmination of extensive discovery and oftentimes unsuccessful attempts to resolve matters out of court. Parties can spend significant resources preparing for trial; they have a lot to gain or lose; and they expect a great deal from their attorneys. As a result, the tension can get thick between opposing attorneys during trial.

Keep in mind that no matter what your feelings may be about opposing counsel by the time of trial, demeaning a lawyer in court never helps your client’s case. Similarly, stay cool if opposing counsel acts disrespectfully towards you for the following reason—juries may not understand the nuances of a legal argument, but they know a cheap shot when they see it.

The same holds true for cross-examination, which can be sufficiently aggressive to fit the purpose. Yet an overly aggressive cross-examination can backfire when an attorney’s apparent hostility towards a witness becomes more prominent than the substance of the questions and answers.

For example, suppose you represent a plaintiff in a breach of contract action. The civil defendant’s mother is testifying about a conversation she alleges took place between the parties. Your goal during cross-examination is to undermine her testimony by showing that she is inherently biased. Instead of attacking the mother, perhaps cross-examination could consist of the following, “Ma’am, it is true that you love your son, correct? You are aware that your son is being sued for breaching a contract with my client, correct? Are you are aware that if your son is found to be in breach of the contract, he would owe my client a significant amount of money? Is it fair to say that you don’t want to testify in a way that would hurt your son?”

At this stage, most reasonable juries are going to discount whatever the mother says. However, if you simply go on the attack, the cross-examination will be more about disrespecting someone’s mother than showing the witness’ bias. The point is that zealous advocacy for a client does not translate into exhibiting hostility towards opposing counsel or an adverse witness.

Article by:

Stephen C. Shannon

Of:

Odin, Feldman & Pittleman, P.C.

Intervening Rights Can Apply to an Original Claim Based on Arguments Made During Reexamination

Recently posted in the National Law Review an article by Cynthia Chen, Ph.D. of McDermott Will & Emery  regarding the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit’s decision to grant injunction and reasonable royalty damages for patent infringement:

 

In reversing and vacating a district court’s decision to grant injunction and reasonable royalty damages for patent infringement, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that intervening rights can apply to an original claim based on arguments made by the patentee during reexamination.   Marine Polymer Technologies, Inc. v. HemCon, Inc., Case No. 10-1548 (Fed. Cir., Sept. 26, 2011) (Dyk, J.) (Lourie, J., dissenting).  Intervening rights typically occur where the scope of coverage of a patent changes during reexamination.

Marine Polymer sued HemCon for infringing its patent claiming a biocompatible polymer.   In the ensuing litigation, the district court construed the term “biocompatible” as meaning polymers “with no detectable biological reactivity as determined by biocompatibility tests.”  Meanwhile, in the parallel reexamination proceeding, the examiner construed the term “biocompatible” as meaning polymers with “little or no detectable reactivity” reasoning that certain dependent claims recited a biocompatibility test score that is greater than zero.  Marine Polymer urged the examiner to adopt the district court’s claim construction and canceled all dependent claims reciting a biocompatibility test score greater than zero.  In view of the cancellation of those dependent claims, the examiner adopted the district court’s claim construction, and the remaining claims were issued.

In this appeal from the district court (where HemCon was subjected to a $29 million dollar damages award against it), HemCon argued that it was entitled to intervening rights because Marine Polymer changed the scope of the claims of the asserted patent during reexamination.  Marine Polymer, contended that intervening rights cannot apply because the actual language of the asserted claims was not amended during reexamination.

The Federal Circuit agreed with HemCon and held that Marine Polymer indeed narrowed the scope of the claims by “argument rather than changing the language of the claims to preserve otherwise invalid claims.”   Noting that intervening rights are available if the original claims have been “substantively changed,” the Court emphasized that “in determining whether substantive changes have been made, we must discern whether the scope of the claims [has changed], not merely whether different words are used.”  In particular, those dependent claims that were canceled during reexamination indicated that “the term ‘biocompatible’ must include slight or mild biological reactivity.”  As such, the district court’s claim construction, which required that the polymer show “no detectable biological reactivity,” imposed a new claim limitation that narrowed the scope of the claims. Therefore, intervening rights did apply in this case, as “argument to PTO on reexamination constituted disavowal of claim scope even though ‘no amendments were made.’”

Judge Lourie dissented and argued that the majority went beyond the statutory rules for intervening rights under 35 U.S.C. §§ 307(b) and 316(b).   Judge Lourie believes that, according to the language of the statute, intervening rights should only apply to “amended or new claims.”

Practice Note:   Post-grant proceedings could be a pitfall for patentees seeking to enforce their patents.  A patentee should consider whether it would be better off filing a continuing application before grant of the original patent to leave a vehicle to present new or amended claims.

© 2011 McDermott Will & Emery