Pa Mock Trial Opening Statement
Published by An example of a PA Mock Trial intro argument that I gave at a competition this year. The case is civil based on the expansion of a medical plant, and whether or not the existence of an endangered turtle is present on the proposed ground. To me, the conclusion seemed harsh: saying the jury should exclude personal prejudices from the verdict, but addressing without please or thank you is common and shows confidence.
Your honor and members of the jury,
My name is John Doe, and I represent ZenoPharma in tonight’s case. I intend to prove the necessity in the expansion of the ZenoPharma Suture Stick plant in the town of Wisawe, Pennsylvania. The goal of Marlo Fernicker, founder the Suture Stick, is to provide a high quality and environment-friendly adhesive that binds the skin of injuries in seconds. It is derived from algae which naturally thrives in the rich environment provided by Wisawe. The algae is grown in the plant, providing the raw material and base of the Suture Stick. The popularity of this product has led to the demand of the expansion of the Suture Stick plant. The implementation of this product in hospitals around the United States would mean a major advancement in the healing of citizens in our good country. In addition, the plant is the driving economic force of the town of Wisawe, having already provided 150 jobs to the residents with a rate of 500 secondary jobs being created for every 100 hired. ZenoPharma has invested in the safety and environmental footprint of the plant by hiring not only one, but two scientists to report on the result of the future plant on the environment. Proper permits from the EPA were obtained, and construction was ready to begin when Skylar Cohen, the leader of Friends of Bog Turtles, had filed for this lawsuit, based on a number of photographs that were taken by her during a session of trespassing on ZenoPharma’s private property. Steven Cohen, who was denied a settlement from ZenoPharma, is the father of Skylar, a teenage girl with potential motives of avenging her father. Allegedly, there had been a sighting of Bog Turtles, an endangered species, near the plant. No employee of ZenoPharma had reported the sighting of a bog turtle, and the driving force of Wisawe was stopped in its tracks to protect turtles that have not been substantially proven to exist on the land.
I want you to think back to any experience that reminds you how difficult surgery is. There is almost always pain associated with recovery. The expansion of the Suture Stick plant would mean not only a faster and more effective recovery, but help in the effort to minimize scaring and stitches. All the while, this is done while providing jobs to a struggling economy, and support to an environment which under constant tension by corporations unlike this one. Tonight, my associates and I will call to the stand the following: Mr. Marlo Fernicker, the proud leader of the Suture Stick; Ms.Hadley McAdoo, a city council member and teacher at Wisawe High School, and Ms. Brennan Nellie, an expert witness that helped obtain the expansion permits for ZenoPharma. I implore you to make a fair decision in this case without being tainted by hard feelings or insubstantial evidence shown by the plantiff. I also encourage you in your verdict, to consider an effective ratio of public interest to industrial expansion at little and permitted expense on the environment. Thank you.
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