Voom Litigation Gets Testy

Dish executive storms from court; trial adjourns until Monday

By Mike Farrell, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/17/2012 4:19:11 PM

After a bizarre day where one Dish executive stormed teary-eyed from the court room, briefly pushing the elderly father of one of the plaintiff's attorneys and prompting an aborted call for the local constabulary, both sides of the increasingly contentious litigation between Voom HD and the satellite giant are taking a breather.

New York State Supreme Court Judge Richard Lowe dismissed the jury early Wednesday so attorneys for both sides could work on "legal issues," according to one attendee of the trial. Court is dark on Thursday and Friday due to juror conflicts and all parties should return on Monday to resume cross examination of former Dish vice chairman and current senior adviser Carl Vogel. It is expected that Dish chairman Charlie Ergen could also take the stand on Monday.

While Wednesday was a subdued day in court, Tuesday was a humdinger according to several published reports and eyewitness accounts. Dish Network programming chief Carolyn Crawford, after a heated exchange with Voom lawyer Orin Snyder while the jury was not present, stormed from the courtroom, tapping the attorney's 83-year old father on the back, sarcastically stating "I hope you are proud of your son," as she exited, according to an account in the New York Post. That prompted the younger Snyder to accuse Crawford of pushing his elderly father, and demanding that police be called. Cooler heads later prevailed and it was determined the services of the NYPD were not required.

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