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Trials I was watching (or watching FOR) last year




Early last year I promised to keep on eye out for five then-upcoming high-profile trials.  They were:  Apple v. Dept of Justice; Nevada v. Telles, Illinois v. Crimo; Trump's hush-money case; RealPage (the property management software concern). Today I will catch up on each of them.  

1. There has been no APPLE trial yet. US District Court Judge Julien Xavier Neals has a motion to dismiss under advisement and some news is expected soon on whether the trial will proceed and on what schedule. 

2. The TELLES case has been resolved. A jury found him guilty of first-degree murder in August, and he was sentenced in October to 28 years in prison. 

3. Robert CRIMO, suspect in the Highland Park 4th-of-July-parade shootings, backed out of a plea deal this summer.  Near year's end, the Judge denied a motion to exclude much of him interrogation video. A trial is expected shortly.

4. Donald TRUMP's hush money case? That one went to trial (you may have heard). In May he was convicted of 34 felony counts.  He has not yet been sentenced, and whether that sentencing will take place (tomorrow as scheduled by the trial judge or at all) now seems to be a fascinating cliffhanger. 

5. The US Department of Justice has ended its criminal investigation of RealPage, with regard to pricing practices in multifamily rental housing, but the civil proceedings continue, in the Middle District of North Carolina, with both the D of J and several states as plaintiffs. There is also a class action lawsuit in the Middle District of Tennessee.  No word on trial dates. 

So, one matter has been resolved, one remains pending only as to sentence, and three others have yet to come to trial.  

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  1. HenryJanuary 9, 2025 at 8:34 AM

    Trump's sentencing in the hush money case is scheduled for tomorrow, January 10. The New York Times reports, "Rather than delay sentencing until Trump leaves office in 2029, as the prosecution recommends, Merchan said in his ruling that it’s important to 'ensure finality' in the case, in which Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in a criminal scheme to cover up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and interfere in the 2016 election. So Merchan is opting for an 'unconditional discharge,' which means no jail, probation or fines." Nevertheless, Trump is extremely upset by the prospect and has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to delay it.

    As quoted above, Trump was convicted of falsifying business records, not of paying hush money. It is unfortunate that the media refer to it as the hush money case, because that minimizes the crime.

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