Irving Younger’s 7th CommandmentIt is probably the most common rookie mistake - the cross-examiner has the witness repeat their direct examination. Question: “On direct examination you told this jury that . . .” The error is grievous. It violates Irving Younger’s 7th commandment: “Don't allow the witness to repeat his direct testimony.” Younger’s commandment directs [...]
Acquittal of Owners on December 27, 1911A hundred years ago today after four ballots, the jury acquitted Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, owners of the Triangle Waist Company, of manslaughter. To convict the owners of manslaughter the jury would have had to find that the owners knew the door to the ninth-floor door was locked [...]
The Tragic Disaster, the Labor Advancements and a Cross-Examination Tomorrow, Friday March 25, 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the worst disaster in New York before 9/11. On March 21, 1911, in Manhattan a fire broke out on the eighth floor of the Triangle Waist Company, New York’s largest blouse factory. 146 garment workers died, [...]
