Greene case: Judge tells lawyers to work it out
A federal judge ordered the lawyers to meet privately to try to resolve evidence issues in connection with the lawsuit brought by the family of slain exotic dancer Tamara Greene, known to many as Strawberry.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen said in an order today that the parties must appear for a hearing before a magistrate judge on Feb. 11, if the issue is not worked out by Feb. 8.
The order comes after Rosen last week gave lawyers for the city a week to turn over the records in question to lawyers for Greene’s family.
“The court cautions the parties and their counsel that any further failures to provide timely and appropriate responses to discovery requests will be met with escalating rounds of sanctions,” Rosen wrote in his order.
He described the delays in record exchanges as a “disturbing trend.”
Records sought by Birmingham attorney Norman Yatooma, who represents Greene’s family, include 911 tapes, police personnel files, video surveillance tapes from the mayoral Manoogian Mansion, city communication records, Detroit Fire Department response records, and e-mails.
Greene’s family alleges in a federal civil lawsuit that Detroit officials conspired to thwart the investigation into her unsolved drive-by slaying in April 2003.
Greene was rumored to have danced at a never-proven party in fall 2002 at the Manoogian Mansion.
According to the rumors, Greene, who went by the stage name Strawberry, danced for former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and others before the mayor’s wife, Carlita, walked in and assaulted Greene.
Kilpatrick, police officials and lawyers for the mayor and city all have denied there was ever a stripper party at the mayoral mansion.
