O.J. Simpson’s habeas corpus hearing is going to boil down to whether the judge will believe Simpson or his former lawyer, Yale Galanter. It’s a ‘he said, he said’ matter. The judge can chose to believe a murderer who has every reason to lie about what happened in Las Vegas. Or the judge can chose to believe Galanter who belongs to a profession whose members are notorious for lying – as the saying goes: The only difference between a lawyer and a liar is the spelling.
Simpson claims that he was so badly represented by Galanter that his conviction should be overturned and a new trial ordered. He accuses the lawyer of having a conflict of interest because he knew ahead of time that Simpson was going to retrieve what he maintained was his memorabilia and that Galanter gave him the green light to do it. And Simpson also claims that his lawyer never advised him the prosecution offered a plea bargain that would have called for a much shorter prison sentence.
During the hearing, Yale Galanter contradicted each and every one of Simpson’s claims.
About his representation of Simpson, Galanter testified: "When you look at the entire trial, I don't think I could have fought harder, done more. I put every ounce of blood, sweat and soul into it."
Galanter also testified that while they were having dinner the night before the robbery, Simpson told him that he and several other men were planning a "sting" the next morning to take back his mementos. Galanter said he advised Simpson not to take matters into his own hands. “I said, ‘O.J., you’ve got to call the police.’”
About giving Simpson that green light, Galanter testified: "Mr. Simpson never told me he was going to go to the Palace hotel with a bunch of thugs, kidnap people and take property by force. To insinuate I, as his lawyer, would have blessed it is insane." Galanter also testified that after his arrest, Simpson told him that he had asked two men to bring guns to the hotel room.
Galanter insisted that he did advise Simpson of several plea bargains offered by the prosecution. When he told O.J. the prosecution had offered a deal of two to five years, Simpson replied "No deal. No way. See if they will take a year.”
So, now that the habeas corpus hearing has ended, the judge is faced with a ‘he said, he said’ dilemma. Let’s hope the judge will take the words of a lying lawyer over those of a lying murderer.
1 comment:
OJ is a celebrity, a jock and reasonably successful movie actor. Obviously he is more credible than a mere lawyer. Just because he killed a couple of people doesn't mean he is a liar.
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