Profane Turn in Feld Fight: Ringling Family Trial Erupts Like Three Ring Circus
- Posted on May 18, 2011 at 6:04am by
Scott Baker
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The feud between the scions of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus erupted into profane shouting inside a federal courthouse Tuesday over an attorney’s repeated use of the wrong courtesy title.
AP
The boiling animosity between circus CEO Kenneth Feld and his sister, Karen, led U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle to post a security officer in the courtroom during their civil trial and to order plaintiff and defense teams to leave her court separately to avoid another confrontation.
That didn‘t stop verbal sparring between her brother’s attorney and Karen Feld on the witness stand.
“We can’t have a boxing match here,” Huvelle interjected, one of the several times she tried to curb the fighting and move the case along during its seventh day of testimony.
Karen Feld is suing her brother for $110 million because she says his security guards assaulted and injured her when they forcibly removed her from their aunt’s shiva, or Jewish memorial service, in September 2007. Kenneth Feld is countersuing for trespass. He says she tried to sneak into an off-limits room and launched into an obscenity-filled tirade when guards barred her way and then escorted her out.
Karen Feld has said her brother has long been hostile toward her because he was afraid she would reveal unflattering details about their family that would hurt the wholesome reputation of their entertainment business empire. But Kenneth Feld denied that he was concerned she’d reveal their family secrets, which he testified were covered long ago in news articles and were being revived in news coverage of the court case.
“I think everything unflattering is out there, and it’s obviously coming out this week,” he said during a brief appearance on the witness stand Tuesday.
Karen Feld has portrayed a family full of dysfunction, particularly on the part of their father, Irvin Feld, who bought the circus in 1967 and passed it on to his son while she said she was virtually disinherited. Karen Feld has said her father physically abused her and forbid her from ever mentioning her mother after she committed suicide when Karen was 10 and Kenneth was 9.
She testified that her father believed women didn’t belong in business and should get married, and arranged for Karen to wed a young man who lived in their apartment building when she was a college student. She testified she was able to call off the engagement after she walked in on her father and her betrothed having sex during a family vacation to Europe.
That drew a rebuke from Huvelle, who has ruled that no one’s sexuality is at issue in the case.
“If you don’t obey my rulings, there won’t be a case, all right? Is that clear?” Huvelle admonished Karen Feld.
The courtroom tension escalated when the never-married Karen Feld grew angered by defense lawyer Matthew Kirtland’s repeated reference to her as “Mrs. Feld.” She abruptly stormed out of the courtroom yelling back to Kirtland that Mrs. Feld — her brother’s wife, Bonnie — was sitting in the back of the courtroom.
“You know my name by now. I’m the plaintiff!” she said.
She returned to the trial after about 20 minutes, but Kirtland later told Huvelle that Karen Feld had confronted him, her brother and her brother’s wife as they departed the courtroom for lunch. Kirtland said Karen called them vile names and lunged at him in a threatening way. He asked the judge to post a security officer behind Karen Feld in court and to hold her in contempt, but Huvelle said she couldn‘t issue a contempt citation because she didn’t witness the confrontation. She did direct that a security officer sit in the back of the courtroom for the remainder of the trial and told the two sides to stay apart physically.
Asked by Kirtland why she was so angry over the title “Mrs.,“ Karen Feld testified it was ”the most offensive thing in the world” he could call her and that he was doing it intentionally to disrespect her. She said she found it offensive because she finds her sister-in-law offensive and because she’s an independent businesswoman.
“If I wanted to be a Mrs., I would have gotten married,” she said.
Karen Feld has testified she suffers from brain injuries that cause seizure-like episodes that lead her to yell out uncontrollably. Kirtland accused her of using the seizures as an excuse for bad behavior.
Lawyers have said they hope to wrap up testimony this week so the jury can head to deliberations Monday.
___
http://twitter.com/nedrapickler
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cranberry
Posted on May 19, 2011 at 9:44amThat was a BORING story, nothing juicy here, give us some of the Secrets and it might be more interesting!
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 3:05pmThey both should have to re-imburse court costs to the taxpayer. Frivolous and expensive. This is clearly a family issue and frivolous drivel. Put them both in a room for 1/2 hour with 2 of the body guards of their choosing.
Report Post »boxy
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 2:41pmI think its sad that a brother and sister after everything they went through together would continue this shameful behavior.
Report Post »wash1776
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 2:24pmSad to see these 2 giants of entertainment go at it like this.
Report Post »CloudNine
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 1:45pmWelcome back my friends to the show that never ends. We’re so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside!
Report Post »JUSTANOTHEROPINION
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 7:54amWhat can I say, lmao. Well, that’s about it.
Report Post »seadude
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 7:53amLighten up you weenie heads. Its good to have a little laugh every now and then and this article is so funny…..lol
Report Post »starman70
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 7:51amUh – - huh!
Report Post »Rocky_biskit
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 7:15amNext time I will read the comments before I read the story … I kept waiting for it to get better but….
Report Post »let us prey
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 7:12amThere must be some serious scandals in these carnys past. You rube, you didnt know that was your sister?
Report Post »obamaphobia
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 6:58amcrazy CARNEY;S
Report Post »Aaron in Polk County
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 6:41amScott Baker should be removed from the Blaze for this …. I’m not sure what this is.
Report Post »GODSAMERICA
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 10:49amWhy should Scott Baker be removed from the Blaze for this. Because he doesn‘t check with you on what stories he’s allowed to post before he posts them? Aside from the bug-eyed big-eared trolls that inhabit this site, the rest of us say that the news should not be censored. We also claim that whoever owns a business should have the right to decide what they do with it. If this is true, why do we have so many people trying to tell Glenn and everyone on the Blaze how to run his business. Do we or do we not truly mean it when we say that they have the right to run the business that they own the way that they want to. I know that there have been several stories that I couldn’t care less about but I would rather they post those stories instead of having their site censored.
Report Post »Bob_R_OathKeeper
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 6:29amDon’t call me Francis…
Report Post »oldasdirt
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 6:23amOh look! It’s a circus inside a circus.No news here.
Report Post »Bachmann-West 2012.
Marylou7
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 6:28amWest/Bachmann 2012 :)
Report Post »Bob_R_OathKeeper
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 6:30amWest and whoever he picks, Bachmann would be good.
Report Post »smak
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 6:23amThat’s it? – Don’t call me Mrs?
Report Post »pavnvet
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 10:01amOh, the shock of it all!!!! A couple of rich siblings suing each other is more in the dog bites man category rather than in the man bites dog one.
Who cares? The people on that jury should find them both at fault, award one dollar to each and make them pay their own attorney fees and court costs.
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 6:16amSorry Blaze, but I think I just threw away 2 minutes of my life reading this one. *yawn* Must be a slow news morning.
Report Post »Marylou7
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 6:27amMe too.
Report Post »Nobamazone
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 7:08amyep, time wasted here too!
Report Post »Families fighting over money, how LOVING of them.
jeffyfreezone
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 7:11amI’ve been reading The Drudge Report for years and there are plenty of stories like this on there. He’s very animal friendly too and exposes many abuse stories. Drudge had a story exposing Barnum and Bailey’s elephant abuse, his mom must be proud her baby boy.
Report Post »Thatsitivehadenough
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 7:14amAs soon as Beck announced he’d be departing from Fox to do other things, I noticed Blaze increasing their mundane, ordinary, People Magazine type stuff. I‘ve often thought that it’s been slipping off the cutting edge material that we crave.
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 7:35amI guess I just don’t get it. When you read a couple of lines and it’s boring, why waste 2 mins continuing to read. While I find no interest in this story, some may who live in Sarasota area, and have grown up with the circus.
Report Post »Gold Coin & Economic News
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 7:38amSounds like a circus to me.
Report Post »hempstead1944
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 8:11amPerhaps they should all run for political office…..they would fit right in with the Washington crowd…
Report Post »GODSAMERICA
Posted on May 18, 2011 at 9:49amThey couldn’t call this an actual news site if they only posted select stories. I don’t know about anything else but I expect more from Glenn and the Blaze than to do that. I couldn‘t care less about this story myself but I’m sure that there are some people that are interested in it. They should post all stories, just because some people want them to post only ones that they want to read would make it like the other “selective story” media. Glenn you and the Blaze keep on going and post any news story you want even though you don’t need my permission. I‘m proud of y’all for posting a story regardless if some people want to read it or not.
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