In Hulk Hogan v. Gawker, the video tape was at the center of what became an amazing award to the plaintiff. Now, with Erin Johnson's lawsuit against WPP et al., another video tape is keeping the lawyers on both sides busy.
As The Wall Street Journal reports, law firm Davis & Gilbert, representing WPP et al., is fighting to keep the video tape of remarks at a company retreat out of public view. It is requesting that even if the tape is entered as evidence.
Allegedly, the video records defendant and former head of J. Walter Thompson, Gustavo Martinez, making racist comments about other guests at the hotel. In response, Johnson's lawyer, Anne Vladeck, is fighting to have it available for public viewing.
This one point of contention in the lawsuit could, in itself, run up huge legal expenses. So many issues, such as the public's right to know, are involved. Lawyers can argue this one to death. That's even before other legal matters are addressed.
If the video tape is made public, there will be, just as WPP predicts, a media frenzy. Litigation is, at its core, entertainment.
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