July 1994 - The Naked Truth

From Carol Hammond of Paris, this marvelous excerpt from a recent criminal trial before Judge Deane Loughmiller. Carol had presented a witness who attacked "the reputation of the complaining witness for truth and veracity"; then, the prosecutor, Chuck Superville, began his cross-examination.

Q. Ms. Jones, what does veracity mean?'

A. It means somebody just picking at you all the time and calling you names and having their kids to pull their pants down and him holding a spotlight on them and letting them moon you and things like that at night. He does it. And he's throwed his little kids out in the street - out on the porch stark naked. And till his mama come in that day, he sat out there behind on old box, his oldest son did, naked as he could be, 'fraid to move, 'fraid somebody would see him ... and he does that, too, I've seen that done.

Q. But you really don't know what veracity means, do you?

A. I - well, yeah. I think it's picking and aggravating people all time.

A. That's not what it means.

A. That's not what it means? Well, what does it mean?

Q. It means one's propensity to tell the truth.

A. I'm telling the truth, sir.
- posted by texasbar @ 10/19/2009