Opinion ID: 2403835
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Tortious Interference Trial Original Trial Judge Testifies

Text: The date set for the bench trial of the tortious interference claim was April 20, 1994. On April 19, the parties were informed that the original trial judge would be unable to try the tortious interference claim due to a scheduling conflict with another matter, but that a second Superior Court judge would be available. That information was conveyed to the parties in an unreported telephone conversation. The following is purportedly what transpired during that telephone conversation. Both parties initially objected to trying the claim before a new judge and asked for a continuance until the original trial judge would be available. At this point, the original trial judge volunteered to appear as a witness at the tortious interference trial, during a break in the other conflicting matter. Dr. Gehret's attorney accepted the judge's offer to testify and withdrew his objection to proceeding before the second judge. The McCools continued to object but the original trial judge denied their motion for a continuance of the tortious interference claim. On April 20, 1994, a one-day bench trial was held on the tortious interference claim before a second Superior Court judge. Several witnesses testified. The original trial judge was called as a witness by Dr. Gehret and opined that Dr. Dein had been a very effective witness for the plaintiff[s]. At the time the original trial judge testified, the McCools' motion for a new trial in the medical malpractice case was still pending. On June 3, 1994, the second Superior Court judge who presided over the tortious interference trial issued a decision. The second trial judge found Dr. Gehret's conduct in attempting to intimidate the plaintiffs' expert witness to be reprehensible. Nevertheless, judgment was entered in Dr. Gehret's favor because Dr. Dein had retracted his decision not to testify and the McCools had suffered no injury from Dr. Gehret's efforts to intimidate. In reaching the no injury aspect of that decision, the second trial judge relied, in large part, on the original trial judge's opinion that Dr. Dein had been a very effective witness.