EMPIRE MOCK TRIAL
Empire Mock Trial is an international mock trial competition held in 3 different locations in the United States. Over 2000 students from 7 different countries and 31 states gather every year to compete.
Empire New York: 2013
Coach: Dwight Stewart
Competitors: Arjun Gandhi, Kristy Wong, Richard Liu, Shakila Salem, Brian Lee, Meg Zhang
Case Summary:
On September 24, 2010, Vanessa Sullivan, daughter of Midlands’ most prominent
prosecutor, celebrated her 21st birthday with two friends, Taylor Hopson and Danny
Dawson, at Chuggie’s Sports Bar. After several hours of celebration at the bar, the three left
in a car driven by Dawson. On the way home, Dawson lost control of the car, resulting in a
crash in which Sullivan was killed.
A special prosecutor was appointed because of the conflict of interest in having the victim’s
parent’s office prosecute the case. A grand jury has returned a multi-count indictment
charging the defendant, Danny Dawson, with murder and driving under the influence
Empire San Francisco: 2014
Coaches: Dwight Stewart, Alyssa Pariselli, and Adam White
Competitors: Meg Zhang, Negar Ghorbani-Delvand, Ayushi Thakur, Shanya Ah-Ton, J.J. Wang, Andrew Liu, Sandy Dai, Annie Wong, Cindy Wang, Tasneem Warwani, Kevin Zhao, Jefferson Chen
Accomplishments: Ayushi Thakur wins Best Attorney
Case Summary: Lee Allen and Andy Allen signed up with Neptune Diving Company to explore a shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean. On July 3, 2012, Lee died during the dive. Andy, acting individually and on behalf of spouse Lee, is suing the Neptune Diving Company for Lee’s wrongful death.
Empire New York: 2015
Coaches: Dwight Stewart and Adam White
Competitors: Meg Zhang, Shanya Ah-Ton, Lawrence Xue, Alan Li, Alysha Bhatia, Nina Jabbari, Kevin Zhao, Oscar Ding, Ilya Dementev, Ellen Hao, Renqiu Chen, Zack Hijazi.
Accomplishments: Zack Hijazi wins Best Witness.
Case Summary: On January 6, 2013, Officer Jaime Conmey of the Polk City Police Department was off duty and on his way home in his patrol car after finishing his shift. He received a call over dispatch of an armed robbery involving two teenage males so he reported to the area. While en route, Conmey spotted a person climbing a fence in an alleyway who matched the description of one of the individuals provided to him by dispatch: a 16 year old male, African American, white t-shirt and blue jeans. Conmey stopped his car and entered the alleyway. What happened next is in dispute. Conmey claimed he yelled at the boy to get down from the fence but he didn’t listen; Conmey alleged that the suspect reached for an object on his waist that he thought was a gun. Conmey then discharged his firearm to protect himself from the perceived threat. But the boy wasn’t reaching for a gun. He was unarmed. The object on his waist was an iPhone in a bright blue case. After being shot, the suspect, Max Jeffries, fell to the ground. He hasn’t woken up since. He is still in a coma. On his behalf, Max’s parents, Sean and Leigh Jeffries, have filed a lawsuit against the Polk City Police Department alleging that it deprived their son of his right to due process in two ways: (i) through the unreasonable actions of its agent, Officer Conmey, and (ii) by fostering a policy, custom and practice of excessive force that permeated the Department and led to Conmey’s actions on the day in question.
