NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A jury has been seated in the federal fraud and obstruction of justice trial against personal injury attorneys Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles, the King Firm and another defendant, officials said Tuesday.
Jury selection had stretched into a second day before a panel was seated after 5 p.m. Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Wendy Vitter questioned potential jurors extensively about anything that might limit them from delivering a fair verdict. Vitter told potential jurors not to consider the guilt of other people involved in the case and to determine a verdict for each defendant individually. She also asked potential jurors about their history with car crashes to determine whether they could be fair in the trial.
Criminal defense attorney Craig Mordock said the jury selection process took longer than usual.
“I believe it was over 100 potential people in the pool,” Mordock said. “A lot of them are going to have conflicts. They’re not going to be able to do a trial that’s expected to take 2-3 weeks.”
Fox 8 legal analyst Joe Raspanti said the process was focused on fairness to the defendants.
“Everybody does it differently. They’re all trying to get to the same place… they have jurors and alternate jurors that are going to be fair and are not going to mess up the trial,” Raspanti said.
Vitter is allowing testimony from a slain witness in the case, Cornelius Garrison. Two of three defendants charged in connection with his murder, including disbarred Kenner attorney Sean Alfortish, go to trial later this year.
The case centers around allegations that Giles and Motta, among other attorneys, paid people to stage car crashes and file false lawsuits to get big settlements. Mordock said the case has caused a stir in the legal community. Sixty-three people total have been charged in connection with the alleged staged crash scheme.
Raspanti said opening statements will begin now that jury selection has concluded.
“The government has to prove every element of every crime that the defendant stands accused,” Raspanti said.
Mordock said he expects prosecutors to connect rising car insurance prices to the alleged scheme during opening statements.
“I would expect the prosecution to bring that up at some point during the case, probably during opening statement, as a way of connecting the stake and the consequences of what went out and how the people in that jury box are feeling it in their pocketbook,” Mordock said.
Raspanti said the trial could take weeks. Vitter instructed jurors not to discuss the trial out of the courtroom.
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Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.