Peterson refuses to give taped deposition for civil trial
Attorneys will ask a judge to order it
By Susan Herendeen
THE MODESTO BEE
January 8, 2006
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But Peterson, who was convicted in 2004 of murdering his wife, Laci, and unborn son, Conner, would not submit to a videotaped deposition that had been scheduled as part of a wrongful-death lawsuit brought against him by his in-laws.
So Modesto-based attorneys Adam Stewart and Gary Davis will reschedule the deposition and ask a Stanislaus County Superior Court judge to order videotaping next time. Stewart, who represents Laci Peterson's mother, Sharon Rocha, said he wants to ask Scott Peterson if he loved his wife and if he wanted to be a father. He said he assumes Peterson will decline to answer questions by invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. But the lawyer wants to have a videotape rolling if that happens. "I want a jury to watch his reaction to every question I ask," Stewart said.
Sharon Rocha and her ex-husband, Dennis Rocha, are seeking $25 million from their son-in-law.
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Wrongful-death lawsuits often are brought in cases involving auto accidents, defective products or medical negligence when insurance companies can afford to pay damages. They also have been brought in high-profile cases when celebrities acquitted of criminal charges were pursued in civil court, such as former football player O.J. Simpson and actor Robert Blake. Peterson, formerly a Modesto fertilizer salesman, doesn't have deep pockets, but the Rochas want to keep him from selling his story.
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