Word: hovland
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...court, Disney cultivates other pluses. Attorney Carl Hovland's experience with one case is typical. A woman and her son were taking Disneyland's Autopia car ride in 1975 when a 16-ft.-long branch from a eucalyptus tree fell in their path. They stopped their car, but others rammed them from behind. Hovland figured he could win on several points: a tree in rotten condition, a poorly designed roadway and cars without headrests. After a seven-week trial, the jury deliberated only 1 1/2 hours. Verdict...
Disney brought in its own tree expert, who keeps a book on every tree in the park. Says Hovland: "His image, German accent--everything was perfect. He couldn't explain why the tree fell. And if he couldn't, who could? The jury decided it was an act of God." Disney's squeaky- clean employees ("who all wore Mickey Mouse watches and buttons," notes Hovland) testified in reverential tones. Sighs the attorney: "You'd ask them who designed this ride, and they'd say, 'Walt.' " Disney also requested an on-site visit for the jurors, a common company tactic...
...located in communities that are more than happy to have them and the jobs they generate. Pressing a case against the company on its home ground, contends Florida Attorney James Sisserson, is "like suing God in the Vatican." Lawyers find they have to tread a very fine line, says Hovland, between admitting "we all love Disney and noting that even the most perfect person makes a mistake once in awhile." But jurors by and large remain unconvinced about Disney's fallibility...