“The defense’s uphill battle is to scrutinize the witnesses’ motivations and credibility,” Osborne explained. “A cooperating witness has every reason to embellish or deflect blame to secure a lighter sentence.”
Trial of Former Philly Union Leader : A Legal Odyssey in Two Acts
The second phase of this legal drama was perpetually buffeted by the tumultuous seas of the COVID-19 pandemic. It weathered a “cooling-off period” post-first trial to clear potential jurors’ minds and navigated the maze of Dougherty’s attorney changes.
Initially, Dougherty had a legal dream team from Ballard Spahr LLP, who represented him in the first trial. However, they parted ways afterward. In November, due to financial constraints, Dougherty was assigned court-appointed counsel. Then, in May, he reinstated private attorney Gregory Pagano, who recently sought another delay to sift through a mountain of evidence but was denied.
Last week, Dougherty’s legal team reiterated the trial’s challenges. They submitted a request to limit evidence strictly to acts directly linked to the charges against Dougherty, aiming to prevent juror overwhelm and prejudice stemming from allegations of corruption.
