ESPN 30 for 30:Fantastic Lies (Duke Lacrosse case)

[Bamabuzzard]

I stumbled across this documentary last night just as it was getting started. Seeing that I couldn't find anything else I was interested in watching. I decided to watched it. To be honest, I don't even know a good place to start to begin to describe the absolute injustice not only on a legal level but a social level done to these guys.

Before I comment, I'd like to see if anyone else has watched it and what are your thoughts about it?

 

[4Q Basket Case]

Haven't seen the documentary, but I remember the incident well. The thoughts you're having now are exactly the ones I had at the time.

There was a strikingly similar incident at the Phi Kappa Psi house at UVA couple of years ago. Don't know the final settlement, but when all the facts came out, it was damning to The Rolling Stone and some other outlets as well.

Regardless of what anyone may think about fraternities, what was done to those guys was as unjust as about anything I can remember, short of actual incarceration of an innocent person.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

What shocked me the most was the recklessness at which their race and their socioeconomic class was used in the media and allowed by our society without even batting an eye. Those two things were more important than the alleged crime itself. Yet after all the facts came out, you didn't see many lined up to give public apologies to these guys and their families who were propped up to be the poster child of "white america" and all its evils. You could have heard a rat urinate on cotton it was so quiet. The documentary (at the end) claimed it attempted to get in touch with many of those who used a public platform to try and hammer the nails in the coffin of these guys yet only one (maybe two) came forward and apologized.

Thank goodness for the justice system or these guys would have probably been beaten to death in public if all the lies had continued to be propped up as truth.

 

[crimsonaudio]

I haven't seen this one yet, but the ESPN 30 for 30 films I've seen have all been fantastic.

 

[Bodhisattva]

I haven't seen the 30 for 30 episode, but I remember when it happened thinking how blatant the feeding frenzy was. I wondered if at any point the media would pause and say, "Wait. We do this every time. How about finding out what happened first and just report facts as they are revealed." Nope. Speculate and sensationalize. Lie and sensationalize more. Journalism has to be the laziest profession in existence today. Rich against poor. White against black. Men against women. This case had it all (except that it really had none of it.) Three contrived never-ending servings of red meat for the progressive media class.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I haven't seen the 30 for 30 episode, but I remember when it happened thinking how blatant the feeding frenzy was. I wondered if at any point the media would pause and say, "Wait. We do this every time. How about finding out what happened first and just report facts as they are revealed." Nope. Speculate and sensationalize. Lie and sensationalize more. Journalism has to be the laziest profession in existence today. Rich against poor. White against black. Men against women. This case had it all (except that it really had none of it.) Three contrived never-ending servings of red meat for the progressive media class.

In the documentary there was an actual journalist who admitted that she was going into bars (where cops routinely hung out) trying to gather information to report. Think about that for second. Going.into.a.bar.to get.credibable.information. That's today's journalism folks.

 

[dayhiker]

I wonder what the legal bills were for these families?

 

[GreatMarch]

I wonder what the legal bills were for these families?

Considering the number of defense attorneys that the three defendants had, I would say the number could have been in the $2.0 million category. The defense lawyers put in some enormous hours. And, I would have to guess that Duke University paid every dime of the defense bill as part of the out of court settlements.

It was a very good documentary as are most of the 30 for 30 specials. I still rank "Broke" as my favorite.

I will say that the female journalist who at the end of the program said that she had apologized, said something to the effect that one of the attorneys had told her that the apology was appreciated by the family. Then the woman just giggled and said that it made her feel better.... It just came across as sick the way she said it and gave me a little proof that the media and journalists today are just out for scalps and not the facts and when they get it wrong, "Oh sorry. hehe."

 

[dayhiker]

That sounds like how my 8th grader apologizes right before she gets chewed out and told to try again.

That's a big legal tab. I don't know anything about the case but was guessing at least 1 million.

 

[AUDub]

I wish the people of North Carolina had tarred and feathered Nifong.

 

[GreatMarch]

That sounds like how my 8th grader apologizes right before she gets chewed out and told to try again.

That's a big legal tab. I don't know anything about the case but was guessing at least 1 million.

Attorneys can charge various rates depending on clients, type of legal work, etc... But I have seen legal bills that have 3 or 4 attorneys on a client's case run upwards of $1.5 million in legal fees. Now that includes everything from print copies, to meals, to travel for depositions, and research materials. I am sure the bills were padded (within legal means) when they were delivered to the court for the settlements. I took note of the attorney who talked about the young attorney spending so many hours in a conference room studying DNA information and made it sound like he had stayed in there for something like 4 days without break. I have seen legal bills where one attorney billed for 18 hours in a single day and 21 hours in another single day. Think about that over a 24 hour day.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Considering the number of defense attorneys that the three defendants had, I would say the number could have been in the $2.0 million category. The defense lawyers put in some enormous hours. And, I would have to guess that Duke University paid every dime of the defense bill as part of the out of court settlements.

It was a very good documentary as are most of the 30 for 30 specials. I still rank "Broke" as my favorite.

I will say that the female journalist who at the end of the program said that she had apologized, said something to the effect that one of the attorneys had told her that the apology was appreciated by the family. Then the woman just giggled and said that it made her feel better.... It just came across as sick the way she said it and gave me a little proof that the media and journalists today are just out for scalps and not the facts and when they get it wrong, "Oh sorry. hehe."

Who was this? Christine "Man Hater" Brennan?

 

[Bazza]

Thanks for the head's up BB....I will look for it when time allows. I don't know all the details except for the injustice for the sake of PC faction you mentioned. Not surprising given today's PC climate.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Thanks for the head's up BB....I will look for it when time allows. I don't know all the details except for the injustice for the sake of PC faction you mentioned. Not surprising given today's PC climate.

To be honest, when the case was going on I never really followed it. I knew it was going on but never paid close attention to it until I watched last night's documentary. It made me sick to my stomach how basically the entire team was openly stereotyped because of their race and assumed socioeconomic class and as a society we basically said "we don't care". No one was saying one word about how blatant the racial and socioeconomic stereotyping was. But one thing that was very, very clear to me in the documentary. There is a lot of pent up anger in our society against rich white people and their kids. It was like watching a bunch of savage wolves trying to get after a prey they'd been chasing for miles. Then to find out how much corruption was involved in bringing charges against them was unreal. It wasn't about bringing justice to a sexual assault victim. It was about going after the stereotype that had been placed on these guys.

 

[GreatMarch]

Another observation that I had watching this was that the event took place March 13, 2006. Ten years ago. If you didn't know, you would think it was a scene on a college campus March 13, 2016. Many people's hate and stereotypes have not changed in the last decade.....Nor has the attitude and actions of those that want to take advantage of the situation changed for the better.

 

[Jessica4Bama]

I actually got finished watching it just a few minutes ago. It was a very good documentary. I think it says a lot that other cases that the DA was over has come under review and that the lead detective committed suicide a few years ago. Then I saw where the black lady killed her boyfriend and is now in prison. Just a terrible injustice for the whole team.

My question is why did she claim rape anyway? Did someone in law enforcement "help" her with her story?

 

[DzynKingRTR]

Another observation that I had watching this was that the event took place March 13, 2006. Ten years ago. If you didn't know, you would think it was a scene on a college campus March 13, 2016. Many people's hate and stereotypes have not changed in the last decade.....Nor has the attitude and actions of those that want to take advantage of the situation changed for the better.

things have actually changed, they have gotten worse.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I actually got finished watching it just a few minutes ago. It was a very good documentary. I think it says a lot that other cases that the DA was over has come under review and that the lead detective committed suicide a few years ago. Then I saw where the black lady killed her boyfriend and is now in prison. Just a terrible injustice for the whole team.

My question is why did she claim rape anyway? Did someone in law enforcement "help" her with her story?

She was afraid the social services would take her kids.

 

[Go Bama]

Finally watched this last night. I can imagine how the kids who had spent a lot of time in jail felt when they saw Nifong get a one day sentence. I know he was dis-barred, but one day? Seriously?

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Finally watched this last night. I can imagine how the kids who had spent a lot of time in jail felt when they saw Nifong get a one day sentence. I know he was dis-barred, but one day? Seriously?

He got off waaaaaay too light in my opinion. He should have at least gotten 40 lashes and a night in the same cell with "tiny" in the state pen.