NEWS - Ultima ora, fermi tutti! Cancellate la Sheridan da "Desperate Housewives" e dai computers: testimone a sorpresa nel processo Sheridan vs. Cherry (quasi quasi è meglio del finale di "DH"!)

Articolo tratto da "Hollywood Reporter"

Despite strenuous protests from the attorney for Marc Cherry and ABC, the judge in theDesperate Housewives trial allowed a surprise witness to testify Tuesday that in the fall of 2010 he saw an email that said ABC and Disney planned to delete all emails relating to Nicollette Sheridan and the killing of her character from the computer hard drives of show producers.

Michael R. Reinhart, a construction coordinator onHousewives for all eight seasons, said he was "disturbed" by the email but immediately deleted it and tried to forget it. However, he said, that was impossible. After sleepless nights, he said he felt he had to come forward before the trial ended and tell Sheridan’s legal team what he had seen and remembered.

Why, he was asked in a preliminary discussion before the jury was brought in? "To possibly equalize an inequity I felt because of what I perceived was in the email," said Reinhart.

Under questioning by Adam Levin, lead attorney for Cherry and ABC, Reinhart said he could not recall the exact words in the email, except it included "delete," "hard drive" and "producers."

Levin tried to suggest it could have been an email that was sent about preserving documents but Reinhart said he did not remember it saying anything about preserving anything.

Levin asked if it was possible he had misunderstood the contents of the email, and Reinhart said, "Yes, it is possible I misunderstood it."

Reinhart said he told Sheridan attorney Marc Baute when he called him Sunday that he did not want to be involved or testify. When asked why, he said: "I expressed my strong reluctance to get involved because of the professional ramifications on my career."

In the first hearing before the judge, Reinhart said he felt he was committing "professional suicide" that would not only impact his ability to get jobs but also those of his crew, and thus his testimony would negatively impact their families as well.

Reinhart agreed to turn over his computer to the defense so they can do a forensic examination to see if they can find the email he said he received, even though he said he deleted it, and then killed it out of the system.