Kate Mangels recently spoke to The Tennessean about the sexual assault lawsuits facing country singer Garth Brooks following his legal team’s recent request to consolidate the two lawsuits in California and Mississippi, moving them from state court to federal court. The piece was resyndicated in USA Today.
Kate explains to The Tennessean that even if the California and Mississippi cases are not handled on the same docket, this strategic move from Brooks’ team will make “both governed by the federal rules, so there’s more consistency between those cases.”
Kate analyzes that additional effects of moving to federal court include that the case is likely to progress more quickly, a judge may be more inclined to dismiss the case, and the jury pool will comprise a larger geographic area, all of which would benefit Brooks. “You might get a more rural jury pool, which potentially Garth Brooks’ lawyers think would be kinder to him,” she says.
However, Kate also pointed out that while the jury needs to vote unanimously to reach a verdict at the federal level, only three-fourths of the jury would be necessary to reach a verdict in California state court for civil cases.
