This first week of testimony at the Danny Masterson trial in Los Angeles has been intense, brutal, surprising, and exhausting. And we appreciate the encouraging words we’ve heard from so many of you about our approach to covering the trial. We knew going into this thing that there would be two major realities we’d be dealing with. On the one hand, we knew there would be major media interest in the trial and that we’d be in the courtroom with a large number of other journalists. And second, that Judge Charlaine Olmedo had banned cameras from the courtroom. The camera ban was certainly going to help us, but how to differentiate the Bunker from the other reporters, who we knew were going to be doing some very good pieces on this story?
i must say you provide a very balanced report on the trial. granted that the facts and background of the case are what they are (and in my view support a particular outcome), and you focus on them, i do think you give credit to both sides where it is due. compliments to you and the judge.
Cohen and friends are going claim victory if they can get any juror to disbelieve any one of the victims. So far, Victim1 is golden. She has done wonderful testimony and has been unshakable. If Victim 2 and 3 can do the same, Danny Masterson is going have a new career making license plates or whatever make work there is in a California prison.
Great analysis, Tony. I have my serious doubts that the other reporters have as much information and recall about scientology and its practices as you do, even if they have done their homework.
Marty Singer was fired by Bill Cosby before or during the latter's trial for Singer's scorched earth old school blame the victim style of litigation, which offends many these days and can backfire.
Will be interesting to see because lawyers usually make the worst witnesses. They think they know everything and . . . well, they don't.
In the pre-trial sloshing around with the "Ethics Book" and KRs info, I have my decades long brainwashed paranoid skepticism percolating.
"religious Priest/Penitent" files info, KRs Things That Shouldn't Be, if that gets into the trial, and even Danny rightfully is prosecuted, that he will long range appeal on the "religion angle" of the evidence.
Hopefully prosecution has this loophole nailed.
But, anyways, Danny even if he long range slips away "free", he'll always be an OJ Simpson.
In people's minds who know the details, Danny's already an OJ.
The ancient Greeks' history of the Sophists, is alive and part of US legal system.
I wish we had great cultural minds to bring up human history's ongoing big problems, Sophistry at its "highest" echelon levels, to me, is a problem needing the smartest young fresh minds to battle and conquer.
Ok you made a good point. The statue of limitations was waved because of scientology. The IJC was the puppetmaster of the cover-up. It came up in court.
Through all of this I've gotten repeatedly wistful that Judge Olmedo (oof, I hate that my autocorrect knows that surname, it belonged to an ex) can't just be in charge of so many other cases going right now. She's so incredibly competent and just a straight up boss babe and one of my new heroes. I keep imagining her in place of other judges in other...... currently high-profile cases, let's say... where the court just doesn't seem as.... on top of things? Am I being nice enough? Anyway, as much as a daffy art history major who reads historical trial transcripts for fun and has zero legitimate legal knowledge's opinion counts, I wish everyone were a little more like her. I guess I'm just a huge fan of people truly knowing what they're doing, and it's sad that it's that remarkable a quality lately.
It just takes one rape charge. If it's just one that's 5 to 8years. He'll be in protected custody almost the whole time. That's solidarity confinement.
i must say you provide a very balanced report on the trial. granted that the facts and background of the case are what they are (and in my view support a particular outcome), and you focus on them, i do think you give credit to both sides where it is due. compliments to you and the judge.
Cohen and friends are going claim victory if they can get any juror to disbelieve any one of the victims. So far, Victim1 is golden. She has done wonderful testimony and has been unshakable. If Victim 2 and 3 can do the same, Danny Masterson is going have a new career making license plates or whatever make work there is in a California prison.
Great analysis, Tony. I have my serious doubts that the other reporters have as much information and recall about scientology and its practices as you do, even if they have done their homework.
Marty Singer was fired by Bill Cosby before or during the latter's trial for Singer's scorched earth old school blame the victim style of litigation, which offends many these days and can backfire.
Will be interesting to see because lawyers usually make the worst witnesses. They think they know everything and . . . well, they don't.
In the pre-trial sloshing around with the "Ethics Book" and KRs info, I have my decades long brainwashed paranoid skepticism percolating.
"religious Priest/Penitent" files info, KRs Things That Shouldn't Be, if that gets into the trial, and even Danny rightfully is prosecuted, that he will long range appeal on the "religion angle" of the evidence.
Hopefully prosecution has this loophole nailed.
But, anyways, Danny even if he long range slips away "free", he'll always be an OJ Simpson.
In people's minds who know the details, Danny's already an OJ.
The ancient Greeks' history of the Sophists, is alive and part of US legal system.
I wish we had great cultural minds to bring up human history's ongoing big problems, Sophistry at its "highest" echelon levels, to me, is a problem needing the smartest young fresh minds to battle and conquer.
Ok you made a good point. The statue of limitations was waved because of scientology. The IJC was the puppetmaster of the cover-up. It came up in court.
Your on screen persona is so appealing. It makes it much easier to hear and digest what is going on.
Through all of this I've gotten repeatedly wistful that Judge Olmedo (oof, I hate that my autocorrect knows that surname, it belonged to an ex) can't just be in charge of so many other cases going right now. She's so incredibly competent and just a straight up boss babe and one of my new heroes. I keep imagining her in place of other judges in other...... currently high-profile cases, let's say... where the court just doesn't seem as.... on top of things? Am I being nice enough? Anyway, as much as a daffy art history major who reads historical trial transcripts for fun and has zero legitimate legal knowledge's opinion counts, I wish everyone were a little more like her. I guess I'm just a huge fan of people truly knowing what they're doing, and it's sad that it's that remarkable a quality lately.
It just takes one rape charge. If it's just one that's 5 to 8years. He'll be in protected custody almost the whole time. That's solidarity confinement.