Geragos and Zonen Clash in Court

Jackson defense may rest early next week, prosecution says … Geragos’ testimony led to verbal sparring matches with Zonen, but the prosecutor drew little from the veteran defense counsel who took the stand under a limited waiver of attorney-client privilege. Geragos repeated assertions that he was concerned the accuser’s family would fabricate claims against Jackson to shake him down, and that he directed a private investigator to keep tabs on them. The sparring between Zonen and Geragos sometimes went far off topic. Zonen at one point noted that the private investigator, Bradley Miller, had paid several months of the family’s rent. “Would Mr. Miller be willing to pay my next month’s mortgage?” Zonen asked. “How big is your house?” Geragos responded. “It’s in Santa Barbara. It’s small, ” Zonen said. … Before court recessed for the weekend the prosecution succeeded in blocking a defense bid to get a grant of immunity for a man named by prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator. Prosecutors had granted Vincent Amen so-called use immunity during a lengthy interview about all the facts of the case, then decided not to call him as a prosecution witness. The defense became interested in calling Amen as a witness and sought to retain his immunity, but the judge ruled against it. Melville also refused to order the playing of a tape of Amen’s interview with prosecutors. The prosecution said it did not constitute testimony, but Sanger said it was invaluable. “Everything is there. It provides everything the jury hasn’t heard,” he argued. Sanger indicated the tape contains information about the relationship of Amen to the mother and her claims that she was held against her will. He said the reason prosecutors decided not to call Amen was that his interview helped the defense and contradicted the prosecution’s case. Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/11696969.htm