Court Opinion

ID: 9824811
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-01 11:29:03.431024+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:40:08.282969
License: Public Domain

ON REHEARING.
It is insisted by the Attorney General on an application for a rehearing that the extract from the solicitor’s argument quoted in the opinion was unobjectionable and not made as the statement of a fact. As the writer understands the solicitor’s statement, a frank and fair rendition would paraphrase it about as follows: *109“I don’t know whether you heard it or not, but a man — I don’t say it was this defendant [Max Strother] — drove up in his buggy behind Max Lefkovits’ store right here in Columbiana, and while the solicitor was watching, sold whiskey from his buggy.”
“Max Lefkovits’ Store,” “drove up in a buggy,” “sold liquor,” “right here in Columbiana,” “while the solicitor was watching,” are all employed in a statement giving details and circumstances of time, place, and manner of what was represented to be a brazen infraction of law, flaunted in the face of an officer of the law. This statement of the solicitor was entirely dehors the evidence finding no support in any tendency thereof. While used arguendo, true, its effect was rather to influence a verdict through prejudice than to illustrate a point or drive home an argument. While great latitude should always be accorded counsel’s argument in the interest of the truth of the controversy, not infrequently do counsel, in the heat of debate, transgress the proprieties of legitimate argument. We are of opinion that the use of the statement in question was that of a substantive fact and on the authorities cited in our opinion should have been excluded on motion. .
Application denied.