Opinion ID: 2491001
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Financial Trouble

Text: ¶ 11. Stacy testified that James's marijuana use affected his work productivity. While employed with a printing company in Biloxi, Mississippi, James botched a printing job that cost several thousand dollars to reprint. [1] He was demoted as a result. [2] The demotion caused James to lose his bonus pay. According to Stacy, James told her that his drug use probably played a part in the incident. Stacy said that, afterwards, James tried to stop smoking marijuana. On cross examination, James's trial counsel impeached Stacy with her deposition testimony. In her deposition, Stacy was asked whether James's work incident was a mistake or a result of his drug use. Stacy responded that it was a mistake. She also agreed with trial counsel's statement that no one at James's job had linked the error to his marijuana use. ¶ 12. James denied telling Stacy that marijuana had caused his work error. He said he did not smoke marijuana before work, and his marijuana use never affected his job performance. James said the printing industry was stressful, and he smoked marijuana after work to relax. James also stated that he had never been fired from a job, but he had been laid off by at least two previous employers. ¶ 13. Stacy testified that James's drug use and mistake on the job affected the family's financial stability. James blamed their financial issues on Stacy's credit-card use. Stacy said they had borrowed $3,000 to $5,000 from her parents because they could not pay their bills, and James had continued to purchase marijuana during their financial troubles. Barbara testified that she and her husband had loaned Stacy and James up to $7,000. In addition, James said that he had borrowed at least $25,000 from his brother after he was laid off. James said he had used the money to pay for a dental surgery, credit-card debt, and the family's living expenses after Hurricane Katrina.