Legal experts skewered Alina Habba’s “comedy of bumbling errors” in Trump defamation trial

Former President Donald Trump’s appeal of the $83.3 million verdict in the defamation case brought by E. Jean Carroll is unlikely to succeed, legal experts say.

“Let me ruin the suspense for everyone. Trump doesn’t have an appeal,” Nashville lawyer Brian Manookian argued Friday. “I know the talking heads on TV who have never tried a case or appealed a jury verdict have to mention it. Here’s why it isn’t going to fly.”

A person must “preserve a reversible error at the trial level” in order to have a case with merit on appeal, Manookian explained, ultimately blaming Trump’s lack thereof on his legal team in the case.

“This is why you hire competent counsel. You need someone who actually knows the rules of evidence and procedure,” he said. “Alina Habba had no clue what was occurring throughout the trial. She not only failed to preserve any remote grounds for appeal, like a moron, she repeatedly and unintentionally waived them over and over.”

  • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Because it’s funny either way.

    Is she a legitimate attorney who is also a gamer and uses the same laptop for work so she can squeeze in some Rocket League during court recesses?

    Or is she technologically incompetent, and bought an expensive laptop she didn’t realize was the wrong tool for the job? She’s proven she’s incompetent as a lawyer, being unsavvy with tech is just icing on that cake.

    Or maybe it’s her nephew’s gaming rig, and she’s borrowing it for her big court case.

    • coffeebiscuit@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      A gaming laptop is very capable for her work. It just doesn’t look professional for said work.

      “360-noscopes” trough the courtroom.

      • ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one
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        5 months ago

        I truly hope the announcer for Unreal Tournament would narrate that.

        “POOR LEGAL ARGUMENT”, “DENIED”, “CONTEMPT OF COURT”. I get shivers thinking of that.

    • Num10ck@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      its like Joe Pesci’s suit in my cousin vinny. like she had some misadventures in a net cafe.

      • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I can imagine a panicked conversation at the nearest Walmart, “I was the only one without a laptop, and I need one, and it just needs to be able to handle whatever.”

    • eric@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Is it still funny if it turns out to be the court’s laptop used for the live transcription feed? Because that’s what she claimed on Xitter.

      • HopeOfTheGunblade@kbin.social
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        5 months ago

        Given the rest of the horseshit she’s slung since she got hired away from working parking ticket cases, I’m inclined not to believe this.

        But yes, that would also be quite funny.