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Report Archive:
July 8, 2000:
Potential
Landmine Could
Derail Entire Case
June 30, 2000:
Judge Steinberg Ready To
Get Case Back On Track
June 26, 2000:
Another
Judge Says 'No' to
Hearing Wilson/Akre v Fox
Case
June 21, 2000:
Still No
Judge To Hear Fox/BGH Case While Fox Dishes More Distortion To
WTVT Tampa
Viewers
June 16, 2000:
Trial
Date Pushed Back Again; New Judge To Be Selected
June 8, 2000:
Fox
Manager Who Fired Akre and Wilson In Tampa Gets Big Promotion
David Boylan Flies Into The Sunset to Manage KTTV, Los Angeles
June 6, 2000:
Fox Trial
Will Start Sooner Than Expected
It will proceed in the heat of the summer, probably in July
May 25, 2000:
Fox Trial
Will Not Start June 12 as Scheduled
May 18, 2000:
Fox Still
Stalls on Testimony of Its president Mitchell Stern
Pre-trial hearing is otherwise uneventful
May
8, 2000:
Ralph Nader
Testifies About Broadcasters' Public Interest Requirement
Presidential candidate gives testimony at pre-trial depo
May 5, 2000:
Court-ordered Mediation Is Brief and
Unsuccessful
Trial set to begin June 12
April 28,2000:
Fox Challenges rBGH
Experts At Depositions
Fox lawyers laying ground-
work to tell jurors experts are cancer scaremongers?
April 26,2000:
Walter Cronkite
Testifies on Behalf of Akre & Wilson
Fox lawyers lodge objections
October 19:
Fox Lawyers Insist On Secrecy At Deposition
French TV Ejected
October 18:
FDA Wants Comments on G-M Foods
Public Meetings Start in November
October 13:
Judge Rules: Trial Will Proceed:
Defense loses third effort to have case dismissed
September 24:
MSNBC:
Gene-modified foods might get labels:
Industry weighs voluntary steps, U.S. studies options as well
September 20:
Trial Still Set to Start Soon:
Busy Docket Delays foxBGHsuit
August 4:
MSNBC:
Mutable Feast:
Will the fight over gene-altered food products leapfrog across the Atlantic?
June 30:
Consumers International:
UN Health Group Shuns BGH
June 1:
New York Times:
Farmers Right To Sue Grows - Food Warning Muzzle Likely
May 10:
Corporate Crime Reporter:
Monsanto Officials Join Leading Consumer, Environmental Groups
May 3:
Fox Deceives Viewers in Primetime,
Too
Net Admits Staging after INSIDE EDITION Report
April 30:
Democracy Group Award to
Akre/Wilson
Fired Reporters Cited for "Courage in Journalism"
April 29:
New Trial Date is October
11
Fox Piles On Big-Name Lawyers
April 17:
Clinton Lawyer Joins Fox
Legal Team
David Kendall Involvement Confirmed in Letter to Monsanto
April 16:
Fox Pleads for Another Delay
Later Trial Date to be Set April 29th
April 1:
Judge Says BGH Case Will
Go To Trial
Opening Gavel Falls May 10th
February 16:
PENTHOUSE Exposes BGH,
Fox Coverup:
First-rate story of BGH situation and lawsuit against Fox TV
(rated G -- no nudity, just the story)
January 25:
ENS
Summary of BGH Developments
January 14:
How Fox Wanted to Slant News
of Canadian Concerns
Canadian BGH Concerns Were Big Issue In Firing of Fox Reporters
January 14:
Canada Says NO to BGH!
Read the CBC Story or 
January 14:
Health Canada Rejects Bovine Growth Hormone in Canada
Government News Release
December 16:
Akre & Wilson Win Courage
Award
For Work On Story Which Cost Them Their Jobs
December 15:
ABC NEWS Catches Up on BGH
Read the ABC Story or
November 7:
FOX Legal (8/28) Answers
to Reporters' Complaint Now Available
November 1:
Monsanto
and Fox: Partners in Censorship
PR Watch - Showcase Article
October 30:
Canadians Probe Coverup Claim
Read CBC Story or
October 24:
Reporters Get Top SPJ Ethics
Award
October 22:
BGH Issue Explodes in Canada:
Read CBC Story or
October 7:
SECRET Canadian Study Leaked...
...BGH safety questions unanswered?
Sept 13:
Akre-Wilson Depos Start
Sept 10:
TIMES/St. Petersburg
SP Times covers NutraSweet flap
Sept 10:
Our Story: Fox Still Protecting
Monsanto?
Sept 8:
Fox Pulls Plug on NutraSweet
Foe
Sept 1:
Reporters Respond To Defense
READ
story FOX-TV refused to air...
or
July 14:
Judge refuses to dismiss
all but one count of reporters' suit
July 5:
OBSERVER/London
Digger Still Plays Dirty
July 1:
Depositions Continue, Trial Date
Set
June 7:
TIMES/St. Petersburg
Akre/Wilson Preparing FCC Complaint
May 26:
Judge rejects Defense motion
for Protective Order
May 25:
WEEKLY PLANET/Tampa:
Grazing A Stink
- - -Don't Have a Cow
May 23:
NEW YORK TIMES:
(Silenced) Reporters... Post Web Site
May 21:
Wilson/Akre demand on-air correction
April 29:
FOX-TV asks court:
Dismiss case
and Delay depositions
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WITH JURY NOW SEATED,
TRIAL
WILL BEGIN MONDAY MORNING
By STEVE WILSON
TAMPA
(July 12, 2000)It was January 1999 at the end of a key deposition
when Gary Roberts, a lawyer employed by the Fox media empire,
sneered at the two journalists who had filed a whistleblower lawsuit
against the broadcaster. With as much disdain as he could
muster, he shot the plaintiffs a cold stare and told them in no
uncertain terms, Your case is never going to get to
trial.
Wednesday, he sat with a
phalanx of other attorneys he has worked with for more than two
years in repeated, unsuccessful attempts to derail the case on legal
technicalities and stubborn refusal to seriously discuss any
settlement. Silent, if not stunned by what they were seeing,
they all watched as a Florida state court judge administered an oath
to the five-man, three-woman jury that will hear the fired
journalists' claims in a landmark trial starting next Monday.
The day began with a
hearing before trial court Judge Ralph Steinberg who surprised the
parties again by saying there was no need for him to rule on a
crucial point he raised at a hearing last week.
The judge decided since
there was no formal motion pending, it would be unwise for him to
rule at this on whether the plaintiffs claim technically
satisfied the requirements of the law.
In another key ruling,
the judge denied a Fox motion that Florida law requires
whistleblower plaintiffs suing private companies to first prove that
the companys conduct at the heart of the dispute was indeed a
legal violation and not merely a suspected violation.
In agreeing with the
plaintiffs, the judge reasoned that the whole purpose of the law was
to protect employees who have a good faith belief that what they are
being asked to do violates a law.
Otherwise, he said, before any employee could ever be
protected, the company would have to be prosecuted and found guilty
of doing what the employee was trying to stop.
Just
before lunch, the judge summoned 35 potential jurors and began the
selection process which continued through the afternoon.
By the end of the day, the parties had agreed on the eight
who will sit in judgment of the claim.
Although the jury is a diverse group, four are working or
have experience in fields related to health.
One is a pharmacist, another is a retired healthcare
assistant, one works for the state healthcare department, and
another manages a health and fitness center at an insurance company.
Two
jurors work in the construction industry, one as a construction
foreman, the other as a manager of projects throughout Florida.
One juror is a bail bond bondsman and the eighth works for a
financial services company that works with credit unions.
Court is set to
re-convene Monday morning at 8:30 when Jane Akres attorney will
make his opening statement to the jury, followed by plaintiff Steve
Wilson who continues to represent himself, followed by the opening
statement of Fox defense attorney William McDaniels.
Both sides have an
hour-and-a-half for their openings before plaintiff Jane Akre
becomes the first witness to takes the stand.
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