Kilpatrick Seeks To Keep Affair, Indictment From SkyTel Jury
DETROIT (WWJ) - Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is trying to keep his affair with his former chief of staff and text messages away from the jury in his lawsuit against SkyTel -- the company that used to provide text messages for the city.
Wayne State University law professor Peter Henning said it's a pretty standard motion for Kilpatrick's lawyer to make.
"It's just the fact that they were released and therefore it doesn't matter what's in it and so keep out the more salacious aspects of his background because that's going to prejudice the jury against him."
Kilpatrick also wants to keep the jury from knowing that he is facing federal corruption charges.
Henning said Kilpatrick may not be able to keep all of the information out.
"I could see the judge limiting the use of the content of the text messages or the former mayor being under indictment," said Henning. "But it won't necessarily keep it out because one of the claims here is that the former mayor was damaged ... there was an argument that he had suffered post traumatic stress syndrome," he said.
Henning said one must prove a connection between what the defendant did and your injury. In this case, he says the public learning of Kilpatrick's affair and the corruption charges.
The lawsuit claims SkyTel violated federal law when it turned the text messages over to an attorney in a police whistle-blower lawsuit.
