SCO Grp v. Novell Inc

Filing 647

MOTION in Limine No. 4 TO EXCLUDE REFERENCE TO LITIGATION COMMENTARY filed by Plaintiff SCO Group. (Normand, Edward) Modified docket text on 2/10/2010 (asp).

SCO Grp v. Novell Inc

Doc. 647

Brent O. Hatch (5715) Mark F. James (5295) HATCH, JAMES & DODGE, PC 10 West Broadway, Suite 400 Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 Telephone: [phone] Facsimile: [phone] David Boies (admitted pro hac vice) Robert Silver (admitted pro hac vice) Edward Normand (admitted pro hac vice) BOIES SCHILLER & FLEXNER LLP 333 Main Street Armonk, New York 10504 Telephone: [phone] Facsimile: [phone] Attorneys for Plaintiff, The SCO Group, Inc.

Devan V. Padmanabhan (admitted pro hac vice) DORSEY & WHITNEY LLP 50 South Sixth Street, Suite 1500 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 Telephone: [phone] Facsimile: [phone] Stuart Singer (admitted pro hac vice) Sashi Bach Boruchow (admitted pro hac vice) BOIES SCHILLER & FLEXNER LLP 401 East Las Olas Blvd. Suite 1200 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301 Telephone: [phone] Facsimile: [phone]

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF UTAH THE SCO GROUP, INC., by and through the Chapter 11 Trustee in Bankruptcy, Edward N. Cahn, Plaintiff/Counterclaim-Defendant, vs. NOVELL, INC., a Delaware corporation, Defendant/Counterclaim-Plaintiff. SCO'S MOTION IN LIMINE NO. 4 TO EXCLUDE REFERENCE TO LITIGATION COMMENTARY Civil No. 2:04 CV-00139 Judge Ted Stewart

Dockets.Justia.com

Plaintiff, The SCO Group, Inc. ("SCO"), respectfully moves for an order in limine to preclude reference by the parties to the various sources which have been providing publicly available commentary on this and related SCO litigation. ARGUMENT There are a number of websites and publications which have followed this litigation and related litigation invoking SCO. Such websites and publications and the commentary to be found there are not relevant under Rule 401 of the Federal Rules of Evidence. Rule 401 defines "relevant evidence" as "evidence having any tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be without the evidence." Telum, Inc. v. E.F. Hutton Credit Corp., 859 F.2d 835 (10th Cir. 1988). In addition, given the partisan nature of commentary, any probative value in such evidence would be substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice to SCO. Indeed, the nature of the claims at issue has led to highly polarized commentary. One example is the website Groklaw.com, on which a self-described former paralegal named Pamela Jones has published and continues to publish biased, anti-SCO coverage of all pleadings, hearings, and events relating to SCO's pursuit of its claims and defenses. There are other similar sites and commentary, and the Court should not allow Novell or its counsel or witnesses to make any statements that might lead jurors to investigate such sources. (We do not suggest Novell's counsel will intentionally do so, but witnesses should be so instructed. We understand Novell may not oppose this motion.)

Accordingly, SCO requests that the Court exercise its inherent power over the conduct of trials, and order Novell, its representatives, and its witnesses not to elicit or offer testimony respecting commentary on this case or related litigation, and not to make any references to such commentary or to the websites or publications devoted to such commentary.

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DATED this 8th day of February, 2010.

HATCH, JAMES & DODGE, P.C. Brent O. Hatch Mark F. James BOIES, SCHILLER & FLEXNER LLP David Boies Robert Silver Stuart H. Singer Edward Normand Sashi Bach Boruchow DORSEY & WHITNEY LLP Devan V. Padmanabhan Counsel for The SCO Group, Inc. By: ___/s/ Edward Normand________ Edward Normand Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP 333 Main Street Armonk, NY 10504 Telephone: [phone] Facsimile: 914-749-8300 [e-mail]

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I, Edward Normand, hereby certify that on this 8th day of February, 2010, a true and correct copy of the foregoing SCO'S MOTION IN LIMINE NO. 4 was filed with the Court and served via electronic mail to the following recipients: Sterling A. Brennan David R. Wright Kirk R. Harris Cara J. Baldwin WORKMAN | NYDEGGER 1000 Eagle Gate Tower 60 East South Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Thomas R. Karrenberg Heather M. Sneddon ANDERSON & KARRENBERG 700 Bank One Tower 50 West Broadway Salt Lake City, UT 84101 Michael A. Jacobs Eric M. Aker Grant L. Kim MORRISON & FOERSTER 425 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94105-2482 Counsel for Defendant and Counterclaim-Plaintiff Novell, Inc. /s/ Edward Normand Edward Normand Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP 333 Main Street Armonk, NY 10504 Telephone: [phone] Facsimile: 914-749-8300 [e-mail]

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