Mock Trial Ninth At State

    HARLAN – The Harlan Community Schools Mock Trial Program continued its success this year, competing in mock trial competition with one of the three groups bringing home state hardware.
    The Red Team consisting of Abi Albertsen, Lauren Andersen, Hannah Bissen, Liz Devine, Brooke Goshorn, Ellie Gross, Abigail Lefeber, Josh Rihner, Eden Shaeffer, and Lael Taylor advanced to state competition and took ninth place among a crowded, exceptional field.
    In addition, Rihner was named an all-state witness.
    This is the 20th time an HCHS mock trial team has qualified for the state tournament since the inception of the program 12 years ago,” said instructor John Murtaugh.
    “It is the fifth time an HCHS team finished in the top 10 in state over this span.  This is quite an achievement especially when you consider that there are no classifications.  
    “So, the smallest of schools compete against the biggest of schools.”
    The mock trial program is sponsored by the Iowa State Bar Association.  In this project, students play the roles of attorneys and witnesses as they prepare and present both sides of a hypothetical legal program.
    Participants are given a hands-on opportunity to examine the legal process and current legal issues.
The Case
    This year’s case was a civil problem named Torey Rhodes vs. Taranis, Inc.
    The case involved a concert that was held at Schnurr Outdoor Pavillion in Des Moines.  The spouse of the plaintiff was killed when there was a lightning strike.
    The plaintiff put the decedent underneath a tree for protection from the storm.  Not knowing the danger of such action, the lightning struck the tree and traveled to the ground, killing the decedent.
    The plaintiff contended that the defendant did not notify the concert fans of an approaching storm.  The plaintiff also faulted the band for not delaying or canceling the concert.
    The mock trial competition was held completely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  HCHS entered three teams for the competition.
    The White Team, consisting of Daniel Anderson, Darbie Argotsinger, Logan Beeman, Joseph Bragg, Theresa Deason, Cole Heronimus, Scarlett McGuinness, Noah Schmitz, Ella Hively, and Ian Shelton, was defeated in the first round of competition.  
    The Black team made up of Sam Buman, Avery Carter, Isabelle Gaul, Casey Kohl, Jackson Lotenschtein, Violet Lotenschtein, Ava Miller, Madison Pope, Vanessa Sotelo, and Kami Stork, won in the first round of competition before being eliminated in the second round.  The credit for this yearly success, said Murtaugh, mainly belongs to the students.  
    “They work very hard in preparation spending countless hours perfecting their roles,” he said.  “Their commitment and dedication is second to none.
    “I would also like to thank all those people who worked with our teams over the years to allow them to compete at a high level.  I especially want to thank Mr. Daniel Fischer and Mr. Blake Miller for their contributions as our attorney-coaches.  
    “I thought all three of our teams prepared well and competed to the best of their abilities.”