[ad_1]
Once her suit went to court, in May 1984, the case was settled in a matter of days and the terms were not disclosed. James Wiles, one of FlightSafety International’s lawyers at the time, still contends there was no culpability in Munson’s death on the part of either company. But a trial, he said, was just too risky.
“You don’t go into northeast Ohio where he was probably the most famous athlete at the time, and go against his widow and kids,” Wiles, now 73, said in a recent telephone interview. “You just don’t do it.”
Wiles, who was present for all the depositions, recalled Martin being both cooperative and savvy in his testimony. He said Jackson had been notably profane but that his transcript had been cleaned up.
Hall’s testimony about Munson’s final moments, taken on May 19, 1980, brought forth tears, Wiles said, but other moments were less emotional.
He said that when Yogi Berra testified, he put a box of 24 baseballs in front of him and requested he sign them. Berra, who was a Yankees coach when Munson died, grudgingly obliged, but at one point asked if Wiles was authorized to make such a demand.
“It’s my deposition,” Wiles said he told Berra.
Much of the testimony from Yankees figures centered on Munson’s physical and mental state leading up to the crash. Martin testified that Munson was the best catcher in baseball, better even than Johnny Bench, and so smart that he was the only catcher he had ever allowed to signal for a pitchout.
[ad_2]
Source link
No comments:
Post a Comment