During a particularly tense cross examination of former Livent senior accountant Gordon Eckstein, Edward Greenspan, the defence lawyer representing Garth Drabinsky, approached the witness stand with a photo of U.S. president Bill Clinton standing in between Drabinsky and an attractive woman. The photo, Greenspan told the court, proved could not have been anywhere near Livent’s office during a time when Eckstein had testified he had a meeting with Drabinsky to discuss accounting manipulations at the theatre company. (See Drabinsky’s Bill Clinton Defencebelow.)
But the photo prompted some other information that Greenspan was clearly not expecting. When he asked Eckstein about the woman in the photo, Eckstein blurted out: “That’s Mr. Drabinsky’s mistress.” You could have heard a pin drop in the courtroom or rather you could have heard the loud scratching of pens as reporters started furiously taking notes.
“Why would you say that?” Greenspan asked.
“He was married at the time,” Eckstein said.
Drabinsky was separated, Greenspan told the court, to which Eckstein replied: “Not at the time he started seeing her.” He went on to say that the woman had been the cause of much discussion at Livent. Drabinsky allegedly met the woman in Hawaii and eventually moved her into one of the three corporate apartments Livent maintained. Furthermore, Eckstein added, Drabinsky insisted that the company pay to have the room where she was staying renovated.
“Do you enjoy the opportunity to take a shot at Mr. Drabinsky?” Greenspan asked.
“You asked me a question, I’m just speaking the truth,” Eckstein replied.
Greenspan, apparently, had the good sense to quickly move on.
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"That's Mr. Drabinsky's mistress!"
By CB Staff
During a particularly tense cross examination of former Livent senior accountant Gordon Eckstein, Edward Greenspan, the defence lawyer representing Garth Drabinsky, approached the witness stand with a photo of U.S. president Bill Clinton standing in between Drabinsky and an attractive woman. The photo, Greenspan told the court, proved could not have been anywhere near Livent’s office during a time when Eckstein had testified he had a meeting with Drabinsky to discuss accounting manipulations at the theatre company. (See Drabinsky’s Bill Clinton Defencebelow.)
But the photo prompted some other information that Greenspan was clearly not expecting. When he asked Eckstein about the woman in the photo, Eckstein blurted out: “That’s Mr. Drabinsky’s mistress.” You could have heard a pin drop in the courtroom or rather you could have heard the loud scratching of pens as reporters started furiously taking notes.
“Why would you say that?” Greenspan asked.
“He was married at the time,” Eckstein said.
Drabinsky was separated, Greenspan told the court, to which Eckstein replied: “Not at the time he started seeing her.” He went on to say that the woman had been the cause of much discussion at Livent. Drabinsky allegedly met the woman in Hawaii and eventually moved her into one of the three corporate apartments Livent maintained. Furthermore, Eckstein added, Drabinsky insisted that the company pay to have the room where she was staying renovated.
“Do you enjoy the opportunity to take a shot at Mr. Drabinsky?” Greenspan asked.
“You asked me a question, I’m just speaking the truth,” Eckstein replied.
Greenspan, apparently, had the good sense to quickly move on.