So how exciting was studio chief Brad Grey's (pictured) testimony in the ongoing Anthony Pellicano trial? Not very. I'm afraid...Marc Graser of Variety:
Though his name came up on numerous occasions during the Anthony Pellicano trial of the past three weeks, Brad Grey did little more than a cameo on the witness stand Thursday.
The Paramount topper spent less than an hour discussing his previous lawsuits with Garry Shandling and Vincent Bo Zenga over payments involving "The Larry Sanders Show" and "Scary Movie, respectively, while he was a manager at Brillstein-Grey.
Pellicano was hired by Grey's attorneys to investigate individuals associated with the cases by illegally wiretapping their phones and conducting searches using police databases. He did so by allegedly working with co-defendants that include former LAPD officer Mark Arneson and prior Pac Bell and SBC phone company staffer Rayford Earl Turner.
Grey didn't disclose new details on the cases -- other than to stress that Shandling was never denied seeing his own contracts, despite the comedian's claims. When it came to his association with Pellicano, Grey said that it was his lawyer Bert Fields and the law firm of Greenberg Glusker that had hired the private eye.
"Mr. Bert Fields, one of the great legal minds, was overseeing the lawsuit," Grey said.
He said Fields had hired Pellicano in the past. "Mr. Fields brought him in as a matter of course," Grey said, adding that since the attorney was "comfortable with him, I was comfortable with him."
The prosecution seemed starstruck, with assistant U.S. attorney Kevin Lally declining to push Grey on his dealings with Pellicano.
The situation became slightly awkward when Grey was asked to point out Pellicano in the courtroom and the private eye waved at Grey.
Instead, Lally allowed Grey to calmly stress to the jury that he never had any knowledge of whether wiretaps or database searches were used by Fields or his lawyers in the cases against Shandling and Zenga and never saw evidence of any having been conducted by Pellicano.
Of the wiretapping or background checks, Lally asked, "You were neither aware that they were happening or not happening?" Grey simply said he was unaware.
He also said he didn't know about any of Pellicano's alleged illegal activity conducted for the cases -- it was his attorneys who dealt directly with Pellicano and read any reports being shown as evidence. Pellicano's work on the cases was never discussed with Grey.
Pellicano passed on the chance to cross-examine Grey, and shortly after that, Grey left with his entourage of five lawyers...
If I were Pellicano you can be sure that I would have crossed Grey rather than play nice. He's a central figure in the case...for gosh sakes...! Instead he passes and just waves hello...Sheesh! Cross him about Shandling's testimony at least....
Stay Tuned...
No comments:
Post a Comment