Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
(music playing)
Alison: Hi my name is Alison Wholey
and I'm a personal injury trial attorney
here in Maine.
Client's ask why isn't the jury hearing
that the defendant has car insurance?
Here in Maine, when a defendant goes to trial,
the defendant has an insurance company lawyer,
but the jury never gets to hear that the defendant
has insurance.
In Maine law it's considered completely irrelevant
how the defendant is going to pay for the damage
that the defendant does.
It doesn't make sense.
It doesn't make sense to ordinary people
and it is confusing to a jury who is deliberating
in the case thinking that this poor defendant,
perhaps without resources, is going to have to pay
for an injury that they caused.
But in Maine law, the jury doesn't know
that that defendant is being funded,
that his mistake is being taken care of
by his insurance company.
That's the way it is.
(music playing)