Voom Litigation Gets Testy

After a bizarre day where one Dish executive stormed
teary-eyed from the court room, briefly pushing the elderly father of one of
the plaintiff's attorneys and prompting an aborted call for the local
constabulary, both sides of the increasingly contentious litigation between
Voom HD and the satellite giant are taking a breather.

New York State Supreme Court Judge Richard Lowe dismissed
the jury early Wednesday so attorneys for both sides could work on "legal
issues," according to one attendee of the trial. Court is dark on Thursday and
Friday due to juror conflicts and all parties should return on Monday to resume
cross examination of former Dish vice chairman and current senior adviser Carl
Vogel. It is expected that Dish chairman Charlie Ergen could also take the
stand on Monday.

While Wednesday was a subdued day in court, Tuesday was a
humdinger according to several published reports and eyewitness accounts. Dish
Network programming chief Carolyn Crawford, after a heated exchange with
Voom lawyer Orin Snyder while the jury was not present, stormed from the
courtroom, tapping the attorney's 83-year old father on the back, sarcastically
stating "I hope you are proud of your son," as she exited, according to an
account in the New
York Post
. That prompted the younger Snyder to accuse Crawford of
pushing his elderly father, and demanding that police be called. Cooler heads
later prevailed and it was determined the services of the NYPD were not
required.

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