Witness moves out of state? No problem- Courtroom drama: Actors bring depositions to life

[The Straight Story]

Courtroom drama: Actors bring depositions to life

Florida attorney Marc Brumer's client broke his heel after falling from a pedestrian ramp. But by the time he took the construction company that built the ramp to trial, the only witness had moved out of the state.

Brumer had a solution: he hired a professional actor to read the absent witness's deposition to the court.

Reading the deposition word for word and replicating the witness's Hispanic accent, the actor described how the ramp was badly lit and had no warning signs for pedestrians.

"We were all floored," Brumer said of the performance. "It was like the witness was there." The building company settled.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/20/us-court-actors-idUSTRE76J36520110720

[Incitatus]

1. If only they could replace some defendants with actors

like a good looking white girl instead of a minority.