Trial nears for market civil case
By DAILY PRESS STAFF
Jury selection for the civil suit brought in connection with the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market tragedy commenced on Monday, nearly five years after the fatal crash took the lives of 10 people.
Attorneys met at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles where they fielded 60 prospective jurors, testing their knowledge of the case with a questionnaire, the results of which they will review on Tuesday before reconvening back in court on Wednesday.
“We questioned jurors for hardship and to see if they had preconceived (opinions) that made them unsuitable to be fair in the case,” Geoffrey Wells, one of the attorney for the plaintiffs, said.
Remaining qualified jurors will then be further questioned on Wednesday before the 12-person panel is selected. Opening statements could begin on Friday.
It was July 16, 2003 when George Russell Weller, 91, plowed through a crowded Farmers’ Market in Downtown Santa Monica, killing 10 people and injuring 63 others.
He was convicted on 10 counts of vehicular manslaughter in October 2006 and was sentenced to five years probation. His criminal conviction is being appealed.
The victims are suing both Weller and the Bayside District Corp., a public-private company that manages the downtown area, including the strips of Arizona Avenue and Second Street where the market is held every Wednesday. The plaintiffs in the suits are claiming that the outdoor marketplace lacked proper protection for the public.
The civil case will focus on three remaining lawsuits out of more than 40, many of which were settled out of court. The remaining cases represent about a dozen plaintiffs.
It is unclear whether Weller will testify in the civil trial. A pre-recorded deposition by Weller will be used if he is unable to appear, Wells said.
Jump hedline: Trial nears for market civil trial
Suggested pullquote: “We questioned jurors for hardship and to see if they had preconceived (opinions) that made them unsuitable to be fair in the case,”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 20, 2008. Read the original PDF.