Judge Chamberlain Haller

Judge Haller has been on the state district court bench since 1942. He was previously an insurance defense lawyer, but the general local consensus regarding this judge is that he hates insurance companies and deals with disdain with insurance defense and corporate counsel. This is the reason we were so careful to request trial to a jury. Thus far, defense counsel has not yet tried a case before Judge Haller, so what is known of him comes from other lawyers in the community who have shared their perceptions of this mercurial jurist. Judge Haller is a stickler for the rules of evidence, and responds best when the exact text of a rule is cited along with a motion or objection. He is also somewhat hearing impaired, and has been known to volunteer answers to questions that have been put to witnesses.

Saul Goodman is a relatively experienced personal injury and criminal defense lawyer. He tends to settle rather than try cases; knowledge of this propensity can drastically undercut his negotiation strategy, for it is generally safe to “call his bluff.” He is suspected to have close ties to organized crime, drug dealers in particular. He is rather vain, seemingly preoccupied with his personal appearance. His license to practice law has been suspended on more than one occasion. His biography on line can be accessedhere.

Jury pools in Arapahoe county tend to be widely varied in their occupational and educational backgrounds, but in general tend to be largely Republican voters of better than average education, particularly when compared with juries in downtown Denver. Compared to jury pools nationally, they tend to be mildly conservative, and tend to be better than juries in southern states at separating their emotional reactions from their analysis of facts and application of the law read to them by the court. The Arapahoe County jury pools are derived from voter registration and drivers license databases. No juror in Arapahoe County is required to serve more than once in any calendar year, and those who are summoned tend to receive summonses every 3 to 5 years.

This is an employment dispute arising out of the termination of claimant, who worked as a manager in the Accounting Department. She was fired after being placed on written probation for 30 days after she slapped her supervisor, John Rougecheek in front of two witnesses.

The Plaintiff is a 21-year old veteran of the U.S. Army with a longstanding diagnosis of PTSD (per Army psychiatrists) resulting from extended combat operations, including two tours in Viet Nam. She has no criminal history, however she has been arrested for assault on two occasions following her termination from employment with Cogswell Cogs, Inc. She was initially hired into the mail-room as a clerk, but quickly spotted a number of irregularities in the check-processing procedures of the company. She was then promoted to the post of Vice President of Accounting, over the objections of several of the other mail-room clerical staffers, who complained that they had been “framed” or “set up” in connection with the allegations of check theft.

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March 1, 2014: Plaintiff hired as clerk in mail room.

March 29, 2014: Plaintiff reports checks missing from mail room distribution bin.

April 3, 2014: Plaintiff is promoted to V.P of Accounting Accountability.

July 22, 2014: Plaintiff placed on probation.

August 22, 2014: Plaintiff terminated from employment with Cogswell Cogs, Inc.

Defense counsel’s assessment of this case is that the jury will not respond well to the Plaintiff’s unwarranted use of physical violence in the workplace, and may conclude that Plaintiff staged the check fraud “discovery” that led to her promotion from the mail room to the level of a corporate officer. The depositions of key witnesses have not yet been taken but they have all been interviewed. Several of them will testify live at trial, but it will be necessary to obtain trial video testimony from the Plaintiff’s supervisor, John Rougecheek, who is now permanently disabled due to an unrelated automobile accident in Florida.

At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio cumque nihil impedit quo minus id quod maxime placeat facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat.

PLAINTIFF EXPERTS:

Mlton Nowidal (Economist):  

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DEFENSE EXPERTS:

Hannibal Lecter (Psychiatrist): 

Dr. Lecter is a renowned psychiatrist with a world-wide reputation, who has opined that the Plaintiff is clinically insane. He has further opined that she suffers from a recognized syndrome know as “depressive antisocial sado-gratism,” which in lay terms means that the person has learned to process any uncomfortable social or professional situations by launching an over-the-top attack to both distract and dissuade others from placing the subject in any kind of uncomfortable situation. 

At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio cumque nihil impedit quo minus id quod maxime placeat facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat.

Defense counsel’s assessment of this case is that the jury will not respond well to the Plaintiff’s unwarranted use of physical violence in the workplace, and may conclude that Plaintiff staged the check fraud “discovery” that led to her promotion from the mail room to the level of a corporate officer. The depositions of key witnesses have not yet been taken but they have all been interviewed. Several of them will testify live at trial, but it will be necessary to obtain trial video testimony from the Plaintiff’s supervisor, John Rougecheek, who is now permanently disabled due to an unrelated automobile accident in Florida.

At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio cumque nihil impedit quo minus id quod maxime placeat facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat.

DEFENSE MOTIONS:

1. Motion to compel production of Plaintiff’s psychiatric records (filed 2-28-2016)
2. Motion for protective order related to depositions by Plaintiff’s counsel of corporate employee witnesses (unfiled, being drafted)

PLAINTIFF MOTIONS:

1. Motion for leave to withdraw (by Sol Goodman’s predecessor counsel) (filed 6-21-2016)

1. Order Permitting Plaintiff’s Counsel To Appear Pro Hac Vice (7-3-2015)
2. Order Denying Motion To Amend To Assert Punitive Damages (8-22-2015)
3. Order Granting Defense Motion for Cost Bond (9-1-2015)
4. Order Granting Defendant’s Motion To Compel Plaintiff To Undergo Independent Psychiatric Examination (10-11-2015)

Deposition of Cogswell Rule 30(b)(6) designees: March 2-4, 2015
Deposition of John Rougecheek: April 15, 2016
Deposition of Plaintiff’s expert economist: June 1, 2015
Deposition of Plaintiff’s husband, John Smith: October 18, 2015
Hearing on motion to compel psychiatric records: November 23, 2015
Deposition of Plaintiff’s psychotherapist: November 23, 2015

PRIMARY:
Fifthwright Ins. Co.
CGL/EPLI Claims made coverage (12/2/14-12/2/14)
Policy No. 123-456789-AB/C
$1M/$2M limit
Punitive damage exclusion
$50K Self-Insured Retention

EXCESS:
Slammer’s Mutual Ins. Co.
Policy No. 76654
Follow-form excess
Policy No. 38177617939992887/282
$10M CSL
Punitive damage exclusion

UMBRELLA:
Laxity Carriers of The Balkans, LTD
Broad form excesss/umbrella
Occurrence (12/2/14-12/2/14)(***likely not applicable***)
Policy No. 12
$100M limit
Exhaustion requirement for primary & excess
Covers punitive damages where allowed by law