MJJForum eNews #342 - July 22, 2004
Santa Barbara County prosecutor Thomas Sneddon said during a panel discussion at the National District Attorneys Association conference in Vancouver on Tuesday that he has not responded to inaccurate or misinformed information in relation to the Michael Jackson case in order to ensure a fair trial for the pop superstar.
According to Robert Matas of the Canadian "Globe and Mail," the panel was on how to handle the media in high profile cases, and the veteran district attorney used his allotted time to speak on how he has handled the Jackson case. He expressed his disdain for the media, and suggested prosecutors hire public relations firms should they become involved in high profile cases.
Sneddon also advocated the acquisition of court orders that would prohibit those involved with such cases from publicly speaking out. "We sent letters to some people saying we intended to call them as witnesses in order to keep them off TV," he declared candidly. "We were able to get some lawyers, if not off, at least more restrained."
The second half of the quote came courtesy of Matas, the only reporter allowed into the closed-door meeting, during an appearance on MSNBC's "The Abrams Report" Wednesday. Matas claimed that Sneddon made reference to defense attorneys on television who would speak on matters of the case, and that as the prosecuting attorney, he felt "an ethical responsibility to the case...so he modeled this gag order to try and control things and level out the playing field."
Matas further added that the protective order was to apply not only to the offending defense attorneys, but to others involved on the Jackson defense team, including witnesses and persons with inside information on the case and its evidence. It was in this context that the court orders were mentioned.
"Abrams" host Dan Abrams questioned the legality of these court orders, asking if said actions could be considered prosecutorial misconduct.
When contacted by "Abrams" for clarification of Sneddon's comments, Susan Tellem of PR firm Tellem Worldwide offered that one could not be given due to the court imposed gag order.
"None of us can respond to untruths and innuendoes swirling around," she released in a statement.
The next hearing in the Jackson case is scheduled for Tuesday, July 27.
Source: GlobeandMail/MSNBC/MJJForum
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