Ex-Enron CEO says trial in Houston won't be fair

[Judi Lynn]

Ex-Enron CEO says trial in Houston won't be fair
Citing survey that shows negative views toward him, Skilling seeks new venue

By Kristen Hays

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tuesday, November 9, 2004

HOUSTON -- Former Enron Corp. chief executive Jeffrey Skilling wants to face a jury in Phoenix, Atlanta or Denver because too many potential jurors in the Houston area associate his name with words like "pig," "snake" and "evil," according to a court filing.

Such visceral reactions merit moving the as-yet unscheduled trial of Skilling, Enron founder Kenneth Lay and former top Enron accountant Richard Causey to cities that didn't absorb the emotional and economic impact of Enron's 2001 collapse, Skilling's lead trial lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli, wrote in a 75-page change of venue request filed Monday.

Skilling and Causey face more than 30 charges each, including fraud, conspiracy and insider trading, that allege they were in on various schemes to make investors think Enron was healthy so they could pocket millions from sales of inflated stock. Lay faces seven counts of fraud and conspiracy in a narrower case alleging he took over the financial ruse when Skilling abruptly resigned in August 2001. Lay also is charged in a separate case with (snip)

Michael Ramsey, Lay's lead lawyer, joined Skilling's request in a separate filing Monday that noted, "We reluctantly but firmly urge it be done."

Causey's lawyers, Reid Weingarten and Mark Hulkower, also joined the effort in another separate filing that added New Orleans as a fourth alternative city.
(snip/...)

http://www.statesman.com/business/content/auto/epaper/editions/tuesday/business_14099757d4d8c15000eb.html
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Hi, Jeff! :hi:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. He looks really good like that.

A man in his natural state.

[slor]

2. BOO Fricking HOO n/t

[cubsfan forever]

3. Memo to Skilling: Pig? Evil? Snake?

Would the good people of Houston--whose LIVES YOU RUINED--say that?
Besides, Texans pride themselves on justice. What are you afraid of? Memo 2: Once you land in the bighouse, sleep with your back to the wall. Memo 3: Eat shit and die!

Professor 2

[mrdmk]

4. Hey, Jeffery can come to California and get a fair trial!

B-)

[Bridget Burke]

5. From the front page of the Houston Chronicle....

Former Enron CEO Jeff Skiling wants his trial moved out of Houston because one-third of area residents polled associated his name with negatives like "pig," "snake," "economic terrorist" and the "financial equivalent of an ax murderer.

The story may be online but the Bush-endorsing Chronicle has now instituted a sign-on policy & I'm not in the mood...

http://www.chron.com

[salin]

6. And just where would this be different, Mr. Skilling?

I would guess that "Enron" would conjour up those same images anywhere and put "CEO" in front of "Enron" and it just gets worse. Unless you want the trial moved out of the country... don't know that it would differ. Then again, that might not help given the broad stretch of malfeasance that Enron snaked throughout the world with its fraudulent schemes and buying up natural resources and then either jacking prices up so high for essential utilities (water or electricity depending on what was bought up) or letting the infrastructure so deteriorate that services greatly worsened - all often on impoverished people... given that - you might still have your name assosiated with words like snake, pig and evil. Hey dude, you reap what you sow...

[Moderator]

7. Duplicate topic--Please continue discussion here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=970144