2010.03.18 New High Powered Attorney Cheney Mason Joins DT *MERGED*

[Tiki]

It's been my observation of attorneys - and I think even our darlin' RH would agree - that lawyers are a very competitive lot...they have to be.

Many - as proved by AL and other cases we have followed - do not care for guilt or innocence or if justice is done for victims.

It's been repeated over and over here that a defense attorney is supposed to fight to the best of her/his ability to defend the accused and to get them acquitted or given a reduced sentence.

Maybe the thrill of the fight, so to speak, is "fun" for them - I would think any PR rep would advise them not to make an announcement of such with glee. (It made me and many others here SICK!)

As to "it's good to see KC smile":

Her child has been murdered. Whether she is guilty or not, her giggling surprises me. My adult son died 4 years ago - I don't smile or laugh that much to this day and likely never will. Also, she's in serious trouble, guilty or not, and I don't understand the frivolity displayed by her and her dream team.

Her laughing and smiley face and whispering, reminded me of her early days in court. I think she has been told this new big shot lawyer will actually walk her out of court a free woman, and she believes it just like she believed JB and then AL.

I was glad to see Strickland stand tough.

 

[QB.]

Well that's really what we need at the preparations for a Murder Trial isn't it? A nice light-hearted atmosphere.
I think there's nothing more incongruous, considering the reason they are all there, but whatever- I suppose that the brutal murder of a helpless little child shouldn't be allowed to spoil the 'fun', particularly for Mr Mason.
It's good to see KC smile? Would you mind explaining that comment..

Yeah, why is it good to see kc smile? No offense intended just don't understand that comment.

 

[miss plum]

I wanted to like him at first, I was digging that old southern gentleman with a sharp wit and a quick tongue personality-Then it turned nasty, like he needed his naptime and JS was keeping him from it.

I'm so glad another mercurial narcissist has shown up, this case didn't have enough of those already.

 

[TotallyObsessed]

We all have attorneys like this in our community. If you are connected to the legal community in any way...lawyer, paralegal, secretary, etc. you know their names. It usually seems that they have the "big dog" reputation, the one that wins all of the cases, and the one that charges the most fees for representation. They have been around a looong time. They know the lawyers of the local bar, the judges and how they run their courtrooms. BUT - that doesn't mean they always win. I think the defense was falling apart in this case, and they searched high and low to find a "local" with just such a reputation to help boost their defense. IMO the only way this new guy is going to help this case is to help maneuver through the system, i.e., timely and correct filings, staying on deadline, etc. Something that JB and AL did not or could not do. JB being too inexperienced and ... un-knowledgeable shall we say...and AL being an "outsider" in Florida. I think they could dress up a gold plated pig and stand it up as their attorney and it still won't help this defendant one iota.

 

[shelbar53]

I have no clue about courtroom proceedings. With that said, it seemed the judge had a hard time keeping his courtroom in check. Where he should have taken control he seemed to throw out little jokes and allowed other people to say frivolous comments. He should have been more to the point. He should have refocused CM about what was important...where the money went and the associated checks, bills that went with the payment, proof of how the money was spent. Cut and dried and all the irrelevant distractions of CM stopped dead in its tracts. So was the judge a pushover and allowed the proceeding to go off tract? Or am I all wet? I do think that CM's comment to the reporter afterwards was a bully threat. I hope the judge and the JAC aren't easily intimidated and they come down hard and want all the little details of the money business and the judge wont stop until every penny is accounted for with the proper documentation of proof.

 

[nanny1]

To me Mr. Mason is just another pompus fool !! His display in the courtroom yesterday proved that..

 

[Tiki]

I have no clue about courtroom proceedings. With that said, it seemed the judge had a hard time keeping his courtroom in check. Where he should have taken control he seemed to throw out little jokes and allowed other people to say frivolous comments. He should have been more to the point. He should have refocused CM about what was important...where the money went and the associated checks, bills that went with the payment, proof of how the money was spent. Cut and dried and all the irrelevant distractions of CM stopped dead in its tracts. So was the judge a pushover and allowed the proceeding to go off tract? Or am I all wet? I do think that CM's comment to the reporter afterwards was a bully threat. I hope the judge and the JAC aren't easily intimidated and they come down hard and want all the little details of the money business and the judge wont stop until every penny is accounted for with the proper documentation of proof.

Well, JB's been making little jokes and dumb statements since the beginning. They all talk over each other. TM pronounced they had proof someone moved the body. LKB and AL tried to educate Strickland. Seems like a lot of theatrics going on. I think (hope) Strickland is being patient and professional.

 

[LambChop]

Well, JB's been making little jokes and dumb statements since the beginning. They all talk over each other. TM pronounced they had proof someone moved the body. LKB and AL tried to educate Strickland. Seems like a lot of theatrics going on. I think (hope) Strickland is being patient and professional.

I think JS gave CM a free ride yesterday in court. Don't think he will be so kind to him the next time around. To me JS seems as if he is truly being objective, which is his job. But I don't think he will put up with much of CM's actions in court too much longer. CM's comment about the JAC was not very appropriate and clearly they do have something to hide with the distribution of the money. JMO

 

[ThommyMac]

My defense lawyer laid it out like this:

I am going to make sure your treatment by the court is fair, minimize your punishment, and make sure the court takes your entire life into account when handing down a sentence.

I had told him, upfront, that I was guilty and wanted to spare me family any more shame. I am not going to re-hash all me blogs here and posts, let's just say it all worked out so far. I am NOT fishing for compliments or accolades for finally acting like an adult. I hope that I can do two things as an active member of WS. My first driving message? If one accepts responsibility and works with the court, your punishment is far less than one truly deserves. That applies to 'first-timers' only. I also like to stress to the 'hang 'em high!' crowd that the majority of folks are one DUI or PFA violation away from learning what having a record truly means. Trust me, it ain't pretty.

In closing, I suppose that I am trying to stress that the entire Caylee saga so far has been a collection of anomalies. If a lawyer with enough charisma and force of personality got a hold of Casey in the beginning of this strange and terrible saga, things could of been very different. Just like any other profession, the process of elimination means there are great lawyers, so-so lawyers, and ones at the bottom of the curve. To paraphrase George Carlin, someone has an appointment with the country's worst lawyer this morning. Where does CM fit on that scale? It ain't the bottom, you can tell that just from his stance. I hope this post makes a little sense to someone. :smile:

 

[notthatsmart]

1.31 days her daughter is missing and she does not report it

2.her car smells like a "damn dead body", and she was the last known to drive it.. By Tony's statement that he picked her up at the amscot.

3.She says she dropped her daughter off at Sawgrass Apt which has been empty for several months... then you say you were held down at a park and your daughter was taken.

4. She has no phone number, or address nor can she prove that she ever had numbers or addresses of the so called Nanny.

5. She lied about working at Universal.

6. She was the last one seen with the Caylee.

7. Her exact words " In my heart I know she is close to home" and low and behold she is found in the woods close to her home.

8. The garbage bags, and laundry bag, and duct tape found with the remains, similar to that at the home

9. No proof of a nanny, no one has seen a nanny, and she had no need for a nanny because she had no job.

10. Now its not the Nanny, it might be, Kronk, Grund, Amy... and umm who else have they tried to pin this on???? Seems like if you dropped your child off with a nanny you would know who the nanny is, but they dont seem to know who she is... OH wait she is a 10 with brown hair, brown, eyes, drives a silver car has a sister name Samantha... Ummm Kronk, Grund, and Amy DO NOT FIT that discription.

and these are just a few, so yes the evidence is there........ and the jury will see that.

Sorry to be a little off topic with you. I believe after the Defense presents their case and after cross examination of all witnesses, I don't think the jury will buy any of the things you just said. That is just my opinion. I have discussed each and everyone of those points you made with many of the majority only to find that it just comes down to how you interpret the documents and your own opinion. It always boils down to the 31 days and at the end of the day, the 31 days has nothing to do with premeditated murder. IMO

 

[JBean]

Let's stay ON topic please.

 

[The World According]

Yes, CM said he was 'tired of watching what was going on'- I'd like him to expand on that statement'... JB is taking a back seat this am it seems.

Mr. Hornsby said he was surprized to see Cheney on this case, as Cheney had opined on TV many times what a disaster of a job the defense was doing. Do any of you locals have any of that footage recorded?

 

[whiteangora]

He seemed likable to me. So he's old, is there anything wrong with that? He seemed to lighten up the atmosphere. Its good to see Kc smile, its time to stop the name calling and get back to the evidence. If Kc walks, its because she is truly innocent, not because this man made her innocent. There is nothing to be afraid of. If the evidence is there, then it will show she is guilty. So far, the evidence just isn't there in my opinion.

bbm
Yea, just like OJ.:waitasec:
This CM person tried to walk all over JS, tried to make the rules as he went along, was obnoxious with his adjectives and is 100% unlikeable in my book.
KC needs to watch her stupid facial expressions, she appears to be one grin away from a straight jacket.

 

[Searchfortruth]

I did get the very distinct feeling yesterday that CM thought he could take over the court room. I am sure he has a great reputation in the state of Florida, but this case is a whole other ball of wax. I liken it to the OJ case, where many high profile lawyers came together to get their client off, and were ruined in the long run. I doubt this case will have the same outcome as OJ's did, but even he faced his justice in the end. Casey will face hers too.

I watched CM's closing on the Serrano trial and read some of his statements, he certainly likes to throw the "million dollar" phrase out there enough. If any of these lawyers really cared about their client they would be heavily engaged in plea talks, IMO.

 

[shotzie]

bbm
Yea, just like OJ.:waitasec:
This CM person tried to walk all over JS, tried to make the rules as he went along, was obnoxious with his adjectives and is 100% unlikeable in my book.
KC needs to watch her stupid facial expressions, she appears to be one grin away from a straight jacket.

I agree with you totally, to me He is just another Blow Hard in love with his own reputation..How many cases has he won?
I have to laugh I went to a few other message boards and they have all these new posters saying how wonderful he is an blah blah blah..so they are starting their games trying to sway the public..will never work in my eyes..Casey IS GUILTY and she should pay. Watch out Cindy he may throw u under the bus..or GEORGE..

 

[diz39]

As a resident of Orlando and Orange County for the last 30 years, I have heard of Cheney Mason and his reputation as a fine lawyer before but had never seen him in action. I was absolutely gobsmacked by what I saw. I felt that he came off very condescending, rude, made inappropriate remarks, and used the "old man" "going deaf" too many times to be believed. It seemed like he came in guns blazing, and unceremoniously shoved Baez and Lyons to the back of the bus and settled himself in the drivers seat.
I am certainly no expert, but having served on a few juries here in the county, I would wager that his behavior would be viewed very negatively by the jurors, as would KC's grins, snorts, head shaking and eye rolls.
But.... what do I know???

 

[nort]

Even if she was innocent you would think they would keep the cheerfulness down out of respect for Caylee. After all someone killed her and her mother at the very least should find this serious and her attorney should be setting an example for her behavior not encouraging her to act so carefree. It was so disrespectful to the seriousness of this crime and to the memory of an innocent beautiful child. I lost my dad in 2008 and my mom in 2009 when I have to deal with anything that has to do with their death I can barely contain myself from breaking out in a complete tears.

 

[Hell's Belle]

Here is an extensive interview by Tony Pipitone with Cheney Mason and another attorney about defense strategies before Caylee's body was found (article from November 2008). Makes interesting reading now.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/18025942/detail.html

Also see Mason talking about the prior claims that Caylee was alive giving Casey, GA, CA, and Baez "establishes they have no credibility whatsoever."!

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/18268796/detail.html

I love a man with a flexible mind.

 

[notthatsmart]

It is my opinion that he will know the right questions to ask during depositions of the witnesses. He has come on board at the right time. Have they deposed Ym yet?

 

[sleutherontheside]

While Cheney Mason came out "guns a blazin".....IMO it was nothing more than a show for the public. When it comes time for trial I suspect that, while still aggressive, his tone will soften a bit in order not to alienate jurors.

Mr. Cheney knew the cameras were already on AND he knew the mics were on. How did he know???? He has been in that courthouse a number times. He started off strutting his feathers for the camera......standing directly in front of it while voicing disapproval of the mics on the table. He is doing his best to shift the focus off of Baez and Lyon who are taking a daily beating from the public and to change perception of the defense team.

He was very close to the edge with his attitude toward Judge Strickland....but I don't interpret Judge Strickland's actions as weak or not in control. He knew exactly what Cheney was doing.....he also knew how Cheney would look.......and he let him roll because the only one it could hurt would be.....Cheney.

Judge Strickland is respected, fair, and capable. He chose not to engage in the schoolyard tug of war that Cheney was trying to start. He took the high road which is harder than being lured into engaging with a bully or say..............A TROLL.
So...IMO.....he actually showed his confidence and strength.

He argued good points and that is what we want folks.

It's kind of like this......A young runner dreams of winning an Olympic gold medal.....They train all their life and when they are ready to run that race.....they want that medal. They run that race and they win gold. They don't want to forfeit that medal 12 months later because of a technicality and have to wait 3 more years to prove themselves again.

I want it right the FIRST time. If someone like him can create worry for any of us....then how convinced are we that she is guilty? Thought to consider.

Anyone can be loud in a courtroom. Anyone can speak quickly.

The SA's office has very qualified, experienced, motivated attorney's on this case. "Guns a blazin" aren't going to change that any more than the "legally flawed" motions have thus far.