Lawyer Objects To "Large Breasted Woman" In Courtroom
Jezebel reports that a Chicago lawyer is under fire after complaining that a "large breasted woman" seated at the opposing counsel's table should be moved as to not distract the jury.
Attorney Thomas Gooch filed a motion asking Cook County Circuit Judge Anita Rivkin-Carothers to order his opposing counsel's paralegal, Daniella Atencia, to sit in the gallery with other spectators. Gooch claims the woman sitting next to the plaintiff's lawyer has no legal experience and was placed there to "draw the attention of the jury away from the relevant proceedings."
MOTION IN LIMINE (Presence of Plaintiff's Counsel's Companion at Counsel's Table at Trial).
Now Comes your Defendant, Exotic Motors, by and through their attorneys, Gauthier & Gooch, and as for their Motion as aforesaid states to the Court as follows:
1. That Defendant's counsel is anecdotally familiar with the tactics and theatrics of Plaintiff's counsel, [redacted]. Such behavior includes having a large breasted woman sit next to him at counsel's table during the course of the trial. There is no evidence whatsoever that this woman has any legal training whatsoever, and the sole purpose of her presence at Plaintiff's Counsel's table is to draw the attention of the jury away from the relevant proceedings before this court, obviously prejudicing the Defendant's in this or any other cause. Until it is shown that this woman has any sort of legal background, she should be required to sit in the gallery with the rest of the spectators and be barred from sitting at counsel's table during the course of this trial.
Gooch told the Chicago Sun-Times he wasn’t objecting to the woman because she’s buxom but because he doesn’t think she is a paralegal.
“Personally, I like large breasts, however, I object to somebody I don’t think is a qualified paralegal sitting at the counsel table — when there’s already two lawyers there — dressed in such a fashion as to call attention to herself.”
Attorney for the plaintiff, Dmitry N. Feofanov, responded that the motion was without merit and,
Plantiffs' paralegal is clearly qualified for the work she performs before and during trials, and there is no reason to believe that her appearance at Plaintiffs' table will have any detrimental effect on Defendants' presentation of its case to a jury; and b) Defendant's motion does not cite any existing law or make any good-faith legal argument for the proposition that a woman may be barred from a counsel's table at a jury trial because she is "large breasted."
Elie Mystal at Above The Law calls the motion, "One of the most sexist things you are likely to come across [...] The motion itself is completely offensive. This isn’t a question of appropriate courtroom attire. This is just a woman with apparently awesome breasts. Essentially, this defense attorney wrote a whole motion to illustrate that he’s just a skeevy guy who maybe wants a date with the lady sitting at opposing counsel’s table."
And (not that it matters other than to address the question of inappropriate dress) what does Ms. Atencia look like?
Originally posted: http://doom-magazine.net/miseryxchord/2011/05/26/lawyer-objects-to-large-breasted-woman-in-courtroom
