Judge: BCS Title Football Game Takes Precedence Over Upcoming Trial
“Some things are more important than football,” writes attorney Rip Andrews in a recent court filing.
But his client’s upcoming trial in a civil case isn’t in that category, an Alabama state court judge has ruled.
Circuit Judge Dan King granted a motion by opposing counsel to delay the Jefferson County trial so that defense attorneys, as well as a number of jurors, witnesses and others connected with the case, could either attend the upcoming Bowl Championship Series showdown in Pasadena, Calif., between the Crimson Tide and the University of Texas at Austin, or avoid being distracted by the game during trial, reports the Christian Science Monitor.
If the University of Alabama wins, this will be the first time in 17 years that it has claimed the BCS, in what many consider the top prize in college football, the newspaper notes.
“Such an event only comes infrequently during a person’s lifetime and is an achievement of such a magnitude that all involved in this litigation should want everyone to fully participate in this achievement,” writes attorney Jon Terry in his argument that the trial should be delayed on hardship grounds.
An earlier Birmingham News article provides a link to the motion to delay the trial (PDF) in the wrongful death case brought by the executor of the estate of Irene Traywick against Energen Corp.
“ROLL TIDE!!” the motion concludes.
Judge Scott Vowell, the presiding judge in the county, says this is the first time he’s ever heard of a motion requesting a continuance because of a conflict with a scheduled football game.
“There’s been some motions for continuances, and I’ve suspected what the real reason was,” Vowell tells the Birmingham paper. “But this is the first one I’ve seen that was this honest and candid about the reason.”
