Prosecutors Want to Scuttle Stagliano's Expert Testimony

WASHINGTON — John Stagliano's attorneys have asked a federal judge to deny prosecutors' request to exclude all defense expert testimony.

Stagliano attorneys last month gave notice that they intend on calling several expert witnesses to the stand when trial begins, including Dr. Constance Penley, Dr. Marty Kline, Dr. Christine Y. Henny, Dr. Lawrence I. Sank and Dr. William A. Fisher.

Prosecutors, however, contend that Stagliano attorneys " have provided only scant information to the government about the witnesses’ expert opinions and have not provided any information concerning the bases for those opinions.”

Stagliano's attorneys, meanwhile, pointed to three arguments against prosecutorial complaints, including that Stagliano should be permitted to offer expert testimony in his defense on all three prongs of the Miller test used to define obscenity, the government is not entitled to written summaries of expert testimony and that testimony of the experts will be relevant and reliable.

The Miller test, as decided in the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case Miller vs. California, has three parts:

  • Whether the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest;

  • Whether the work depicts/describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct or excretory functions specifically defined by applicable state law; and,

  • Whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.

Stagliano's attorneys say prosecutors are seeking to scuttle all expert witness testimony since “the films are the evidence of what they represent," according to a government motion.

"[W]hile the government is technically correct that 'expert testimony is not required in obscenity cases,' it does not follow, as the government implies it does, that defendants should be precluded from putting on experts here," Stagliano attorneys said.

"On the contrary, nearly every court to have considered the issue has held that the defendant can and should be permitted to introduce competent, relevant and appropriate expert testimony regarding the three prongs of Miller. This is exactly what the defendants herein propose to do."

Stagliano attorneys, in a motion on Friday, asked U.S. District Judge Richard Leon to deny the government’s motion to exclude all defense expert testimony and to reserve judgment on the admissibility and scope of Stagliano experts’ testimony until they are prepared to call such experts following the completion of the government’s case.

They also asked Leon to deny the government’s request for complete written summaries of the defendants’ proposed experts.

On Monday, meanwhile, both sides filed court papers relative to proposed jury instructions. The case, expected to last two weeks, begins in Washington on July 7.

Stagliano and his companies — Evil Angel Productions Inc. and John Stagliano Inc. — are charged with seven counts for illegal possession, distribution and sale of two videos sent through the mail — "Milk Nymphos" and "Storm Squirters 2 'Target Practice'" — and a trailer of "Fetish Fanatic Chapter 5" shown on the Internet.

Stagliano faces a maximum of 32 years in jail and $7 million in fines if convicted on all counts.

Related:  

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

2024 Pornhub Awards Winners Announced

Winners of the 2024 Pornhub Awards were announced this morning.

Justices Alito, Thomas Invoke Victorian-Era Morality Law, Raising Censorship Concerns

Several national publications reported this week on widespread concern among Free Speech advocates after U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas repeatedly invoked during a hearing the infamous segregation-era law the Comstock Act, which was the cornerstone of U.S. censorship of sexual material from the 1870s until the 1970s.

TeamSkeet Releases 1st Installment of 'Ripe for the Taking'

TeamSkeet has released the first installment of its latest feature, "Ripe for the Taking," starring TeamSkeet March AllStar Scarlett Alexis.

Skinfluential Management's FansFuel Acquires Fanwire

Creator stats and affiliate marketing platform FansFuel has acquired creator account management tool Fanwire.

Pineapple Support Taps Kasey Kei as Brand Ambassador

Pineapple Support has named veteran performer and content creator Kasey Kei as its latest brand ambassador.

Nebraska AV Bill Moves Forward Despite Privacy, Free Speech Concerns

Nebraska’s unicameral Legislature has given first-round approval to LB 1092, the state’s version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.

Eva Maxim, Katrina Colt Headline 'Cumming to LA' From Cherry Kiss

Eva Maxim and Katrina Colt star with Vince Karter in 2021 XBIZ Europas Female Performer of the Year Cherry Kiss' "Cumming to L.A.," from Evil Angel.

AEBN Celebrates 25th Anniversary

The Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network (AEBN) is celebrating its 25th year in business this week.

Performers in Meta Blacklisting Lawsuit Seek to Preserve Antitrust Claims

Adult Performance Artists Guild board officers Alana Evans, Kelly Pierce and Ruby have informed a California court that, although they want to drop their lawsuit claiming that Meta conspired with OnlyFans to blacklist rival premium fan platforms’ talent, they may still pursue antitrust claims in the future.

Skylar Snow Headlines 'Infidelity 4' From Sweet Sinner

Skylar Snow toplines "Infidelity 4," the latest release from Mile High Media studio brand Sweet Sinner.

Show More