The Jerry Baldwin Saga: 1998-2020

[Damon]

EDSBS Blog Post

Best part of the post:

Reading between the lines, the main reason for the overturn seems to be that the trial happened in Louisiana, and went about as well as most Louisiana jury trials go: disastrously for Teams Logic and Fairness. Pay attention and laugh along, Category 5:

The appeals court also found Johnson wrongly granted “expert witness” status to a man who testified about how being fired might make it difficult for Baldwin to obtain another coaching job.
The appeals judge ruled that the man offered only a personal view unsupported by any “indicia of reliability.”

In addition to our lifelong dream of being convicted for practicing law without a license, we now have a new one: being an expert witness on something in a trial without having any expertise in the subject whatsoever.

[Cajunsmike]

_ Have you ever picked a jury?

You're trying to predict the future behavior of strangers as a group based on their present behavior in a jury box for the few minutes you have to talk to them.

In most courts you don't get anything by way of backrground until the jurors fill out the questionnaire the morning of jury selection.

The best you can do is try to get rid of those witnesses you KNOW will vote against you. They tried that, and inexplicably, that juror with the pending discrimination case should have never been seated.

Once she was, the whole case was a farce.

On the other hand, the Judge knew that the case was going to get reviewed by the Court of Appeal regardless of what the Jury did.

Before you bash the Judge, remember, he was the one who threw the case out on Summary Judgment in the first place. _

I have never picked a jury although I have been considered for a couple and saw a little of the process. I admit I may have been too harsh on the legal team as I am not really qualified to judge their performance. As far as the judge is concerned, I saw some research on his history generated by an acquaintance. Let's just say his record is not reflective of someone who is a model citizen.

On a more positive front, Astros have a chance of being only one game under 0.500 by the end of the day. A 2nd half run similar to last year is possible. This from a club that most prognosticators said would be one of the worst in MLB.

[NewsCopy]

  UL - University of Louisiana is very pleased with a unanimous decision of the Court of Appeal to throw out the judgment in the Jerry Baldwin case. The university denied former Head Football Coach Jerry Baldwin's allegations that he was fired because of race.

UL has a long history of leadership in bringing about diversity throughout the campus, including collegiate athletics. UL was the first historically white university in Louisiana to integrate its athletics program and the first in Division IA in Louisiana to hire a black Head Football Coach.

This Court of Appeal ruling clears the way for a new trial. The university is confident that the courts will rule in its favor in any future proceedings.

Jerry Baldwin's record during his three years as Head Football Coach of Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns was 6 wins and 27 losses.

[NewsCopy]

Credit Louisiana’s 1st Circuit Court of Appeal in Baton Rouge with a rarity – a legal judgment in the sports world that makes sense. Now, if common sense prevails in whatever forum former UL football coach Jerry Baldwin now takes his discrimination case, the state and the university stands to be cleansed of one of its uglier legal chapters. On Wednesday, the circuit court threw out a $2 million judgment that a 19th Judicial District Court jury – one that proved its ignorance of the workings of collegiate athletics – had awarded Baldwin in 2007. In that case, Baldwin claimed racial discrimination by the university, the UL Board of Supervisors and former athletic director Nelson Schexnayder for his firing after the Ragin’ Cajuns’ 2001 season. At the trial, Baldwin claimed breach of contract, discrimination and emotional distress, and the racially-balanced jury – six white, six black – voted 10-2 to award Baldwin $500,000 for general damages and emotional distress, $600,000 for lost wages and $900,000 for future lost wages. The rest of the story Dan McDonald

[4LSU]

_ But isnt that what the appeal courts are all about, to protect from unjust bias from jurors or judges, to take an abstract look at a case and make a judgment on whether the court case was fair or not. we need bias in our courts, because it keeps the judicial system honest. Because after all its run by humans just like all of us. You want people to have an opinion, you want people to care. If everybody just fell in line this whole existence would be kinda pointless. _

I would just as soon have as unbiased of a jury as possible deciding my fate out of the blocks, but if you need a bias jury deciding yours...I say go for it.

As to the appeal courts, you are pretty much right on target. imo

[GetTheFacts1st]

I can't believe UL would fire someone for a mere 6-27 which kept butts out of the seats. Something else was going on that people missed. REBUILBING was in progress, folks.

Toothpick houses ---one after another --were being built with wreckless abandon.

[Boomer]

and of course the irony of his being so bad and causes even more crap with this stupid law suit!!!!!

[Turbine]

If he wasn't so unsuccessful he would still be the coac . . . and I would be sporting a tooth pick.


igeaux.mobi

[Zeebart21]

If he wasn't so unsuccessful he would still be the coac . . . and I would be sporting a tooth pick.


igeaux.mobi

Turbine, you get my reply to your pm yesterday?



Z

[LSUalum1]

If you only knew what goes around in our "justice" system between police, Prosecutors, Judges, etc. Americans wouldn't throw around the words, "We have the best Judicial System in the World" as fact. Granted, I don't have first hand knowledge of other countries Judicial systems, but unless they just flip a coin, we don't have the best system in the World.

The more appropriate saying is "We have the best Judicial System ON PAPER".

[CajunMarine81]

Forget about the courts, judges, etc.... what ever happened to.... you are a coach. you are losing. The program is sinking. you get FIRED! A good coach is a good coach. they are not a good "black coach" or a good "white coach". If you are losing, you are fired. If you are winning, you are praised. I don't see the outrage when a white coach, or a black coach gets fired at any other university or professional organization. What am I missing here?

[NewsCopy]

  Former UL head football coach Jerry Baldwin's attorneys will ask for a rehearing, Baldwin's attorney Karl Bernard said this week.

The 1st Circuit Court of Appeal in Baton Rouge unanimously threw out a $2 million judgment against the UL Board of Supervisors and former Ragin' Cajun athletic director Nelson Schexnayder.

That judgment came after a jury found that Baldwin, a former head football coach at UL, was terminated, in part, because of racial discrimination.
"We were a little disappointed in the ruling," Bernard said. "But we do respect the First Court's decision."

Bernard said he is looking through the appellate court's ruling and will soon request a rehearing. If that is not granted, he will appeal to the Louisiana Supreme Court.

The rest of the story

Tina Marie Macias • tmacias@theadvertiser.com • July 4, 2009