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Pardee Hall will be the center of courtroom drama this weekend, as Lafayette’s mock trial teams will host and compete in the Colonial Regional Mock Trial competition Feb. 16-18.
A total of 23 teams from nine colleges and universities will be in attendance, including DeSales University, Georgetown University, University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, and Villanova University.
The three-day event, which is open to the public, begins with registration and welcoming remarks from 4-5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16 in Colton Chapel. Round one of the competition will be held from 6-9 p.m. Friday night in numerous rooms in Pardee Hall. Rounds two and three will continue from 10 a.m.-1p.m. and 3-6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17 in Pardee Hall. The final round will be 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18 in Pardee Hall with the awards banquet following at 12:30 p.m. in the Bergethon Room of Marquis Hall.
The top two finishers in the tournament will move on to the American Mock Trial Association National Championship Tournament held April 13-15 at Stetson University in St. Petersburg, Fla. The next five finalists will compete in the St. Paul National Tournamentheld March 16-18 at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minn., for another chance to move on to the national championship.
Lafayette’s three mock trial teams are coached by Diane Elliott ’74, visiting instructor of government and law, and Carmela Karns, administrative assistant.
“It is exciting to be the host and it is certainly an honor for us,” says Elliott. “I hope all of the students’ hard work pays off and they come away feeling that they did their best job.”
This year’s case is Sean Jeffries, et. al. v. Polk County Police Department. It is a fictitious civil rights claim brought by the parents of a teenager named Max Jeffries, who was shot by Officer Jamie Conmey because he fit a general description of a robbery suspect. Jeffries is in a coma, and Conmey committed suicide shortly after shooting Jeffries, raising questions about his mental health at the time of the shooting. Alleging that the officer deprived their son of due process, the parents are suing the entire police department.
Members of Lafayette’s first team are captain David Myers ’07 (Rockville Centre, N.Y.), a double major in history and government & law; Andrew Fagal ’07 (Skaneateles, N.Y.), a history and economics & business double major; Theresa Giamanco ’07 (Oak Ridge, N.J.), a philosophy and government & law double major; Adel Lomibao ’08 (Easton, Pa.), a chemistry and mathematics double major; Christopher McGuinn ’07 (Pittsburgh, Pa.), a government and law major; Ryan Osterweil ’08 (Forest Hills, N.Y.), a chemistry major; and Trustee Scholar Margaret Schierberl ’10 (West Hartford, Conn.).
Team two includes captain Christina Chen ’07 (Sinking Spring, Pa.), a history and government and law major; Sarah Bruno ’08 (Wilkes Barre, Pa.), an American studies and government & law double major; Marquis Scholar Jeffrey Beavan ’09 (Nazareth, Pa.), who is pursuinga B.S. civil engineering and A.B. with a major in economics and business; Marquis Scholar Karen Fusco ’09 (Albrightsville, Pa.); Jennifer Gorchow ’07 (Cherry Hill, N.J.), an economics and business major; Daniel Reynolds ’08 (Randolph, N.J.), an English major; and Lisa Van Batavia ’08 (Dobbs Ferry, N.J.), a government & law and anthropology & sociology double major.
Team three co-captains are Adam Pie ’09 (Doylestown, Pa.), a history major, and TarynAnn Barry ’09 (Bridgewater, N.J.), a history and government and law major. Other members are Trustee Scholar Carolyn Fast ’10 (Rockaway, N.J.); Marquis Scholar Stephen Hornstein ’09 (North Potomac, Md.), an economics and business major; Jared Kreiger ’09 (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), a government and law major; Tiffany Patafio ’10 (Staten Island, N.Y.); and Matthew Pisciotta ’09 (Lynbrook, N.Y.), a government and law major.