Quinio v. Aala
Opinion of the Court
*468In 1986, Defendant Rustico Aala ("Rustico"), then aged 42, raped his sister Maria Rossana Aala Quinio ("Plaintiff"), then aged 16, and impregnated her. In 1987, Plaintiff gave birth to a child, who was placed for adoption immediately thereafter. Plaintiff kept the rape and pregnancy a secret from everyone in her family - except her siblings - until 2009. Rustico soon thereafter agreed to enter into a written contract ("the Agreement") with Plaintiff to compensate her with cash, a new car, a stake in his properties in the Philippines, and part of his retirement accounts.
In 2015, Plaintiff filed this action alleging that Rustico and his wife Defendant Lerma Aala ("Lerma") (collectively "Defendants") breached the Agreement by failing to perform their contractual obligations. The parties allege jurisdiction under
BACKGROUND
I. Relevant Facts
Plaintiff was born on 1969 in the Philippines, and immigrated to the United States when she was fourteen. (Pl's. 56.1
On November 5, 2009, Jess and Plaintiff's sisters, Mary and Marie, met with Rustico and Lerma to discuss the incident. (Pl's. 56.1, at ¶ IV-5.) At that meeting, Jess gave Rustico a letter written by Plaintiff in which Plaintiff discloses the rape and recounts her years of secrecy. (Id. ) On November 15, 2009, Plaintiff wrote a letter to her family stating that Rustico raped her. (Amended Complaint, ("Am. Compl."), Dkt. 7, at ¶ 10.) On November 20, 2009, *469Plaintiff and Rustico entered into the Agreement whereby Rustico agreed to compensate Plaintiff. (Pl's. 56.1, at ¶ IV-5.) The Agreement consists of three sections, the first of which reads:
Term and Conditions:
1. All your assets, property, inheritance and income in the Philippines will be given to me provide power of attorney stating all asset, property, inheritance and income transfer all rights and will to me, Mrs. Maria Rossana Aala Quinio. Provide this document before November 30, 2009 Mail to:
Mrs. Rossana "Susan" Aala Quinio
P.O. Box 8035
Paramus, NJ 07653
Failure to comply, I will file a legal suite of "Rape of a child and incest"
2. Provide and surrender your U.S. passport to me. Provide this document before November 30, 2009 Mail to:
Mrs. Rossana "Susan" Aala Quinio
P.O. Box 8035
Paramus, NJ 07653
Failure to comply, I will file a legal suite of "Rape of a child and incest"
3. Purchase a new vehicle of my choice on before May 1, 2010 Failure to comply, I will file a legal suite of "Rape of a child and incest"
4. Provide documentation regarding your retirement plan, forty percent (40%) of your retirement plan will be given to me, Mrs. Rossana "Susan" Aala Quinio provide power of attorney stating rights and modification of your retirement plan. Provide this document on June 7, 2010 at 12:00 NN, failure to provide this document, I will file a legal suite of "Rape of a child and incest"
5. Provide lump sum damages that cause my life and suffering with the amount of $500,000 thousand dollars, see schedule of fee damages. A bank account number will be provided three days prior to schedule of dead line.
i. First payment of $70,000 dollars cash due on December 14, 2009 at 12:00 NN, (drop off to be determined & coordinated) failure to provide on this amount, I will file a legal suite of "Rape of a child and incest"
ii. Second payment of $200,000 dollars on December 5, 2011 at 12:00 NN, failure to provide this amount, I will file a legal suite of "Rape of a child and incest"
iii. Last and balance of payment with the amount of $230,000 dollars on December 3, 2012 at 12:00 NN, failure to provide this amount, I will file a legal suite of "Rape of a child and incest"
The terms and conditions are not negotiable. Again, failure to comply on my terms and conditions, you will be persecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I will make sure with the help of my husband and in the name of our Aala sister's most specially our parents you will pay the price.
Your youngest sister,
Mrs. Rossana Aala Quinio
Date: November 20, 2009
(Dkt. 103-7, at ECF
*470The second section of the Agreement is a seemingly random collection of five blank forms from the Family Court of the State of New York: (1) Order to Show Cause (id. at ECF 3); (2) Summons (id. at ECF 4); (3) Order of Protection, setting forth general information about potential arrest and criminal prosecution (id. at ECF 5); (4) Notice to Respondent Parent(s) in Child Abuse or Neglect Cases (id. at ECF 6); and (5) Warrant of Arrest (id. at ECF 7).
The third section is a one-page letter containing the signatures of both Plaintiff and Rustico. The letter states, inter alia :
This letter is to inform you that you, Mr. Rustico Aala, signed and agreed "Confidentiality agreement" per my husband meeting with Mrs. Lerma Aala, Ms. Maria Aala and Mrs. Guanlao present last December 15, 2009 at your house at 1:07 pm, both parties and witnesses verbally agreed "confidentiality regarding the meeting discussed.["]
* * *
Read and Accepted by:
I, Mr. Rustico Aala will comply with the terms and condition above no matter what happen and responsible to pay Mrs. Rossana "Susan" Quinio
(Id. at ECF 8.)
On June 30, 2015, Plaintiff and Jess called Rustico and had a conversation in Tagalog. Jess taped the conversation, which Plaintiff's lawyer had translated and transcribed. (See 6/30/15 Transcript, Dkt. 103-11.) In that conversation, Rustico acknowledged (1) his intention to make payments to Plaintiff, but claimed he did not have the money; (2) his obligation to convey his properties in the Philippines; and (3) that he was seeking Plaintiff's forgiveness. (Pl's. 56.1, at ¶ IV-12.)
In total, Plaintiff claims that she is entitled to $1,172,000 in damages. (Dkt. 103-21, at 10-11.)
II. Procedural History
Plaintiff filed her complaint in this action on August 20, 2015. (Dkt. 1.) The parties completed discovery on February 12, 2017. (Dkt. 65.) On March 24, 2017, Defendants moved to amend their answer to include a defense of mental incompetence as to Rustico. (See Dkt. 67.) On May 8, 2017, the Court granted Defendants leave to amend their answer. On May 10, 2017, Defendants filed an amended answer. (Dkt. 73.) On July 12, 2017, the Court held a Daubert hearing to determine the admissibility of the testimony of defense expert Dr. Sandlin Lowe regarding Rustico's alleged mental incompetence. On August 7, 2017, the Court precluded the testimony of Dr. Lowe, subject to Defendants submitting medical literature to support the doctor's opinions and testimony-which Defendants failed to do. On December 4, 2017, Plaintiff submitted her motion, seeking (1) summary judgment as to the breach of contract of claim; (2) to preclude Defendants from pursuing Defendants' affirmative defenses at trial; and (3) a declaratory judgment binding Lerma to the Court's decision. However, because neither party addressed the issue of whether the Agreement should be voided on public policy grounds, the Court requested supplemental briefing on that issue, which was completed on June 11, 2018. (Dkts. 107, 108, 109.)
STANDARD OF REVIEW
"Summary judgment is appropriate where there are no genuine disputes concerning any material facts, and where the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Summa v. Hofstra Univ. ,
*471Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc. ,
DISCUSSION
I. Legal Standards
In New York, settlement agreements must be construed "according to general principles of contract law." Brodeur v. City of N.Y. , No. 04-CV-1859 (JG),
The "primary objective" in contract interpretation is to give effect to the intent of the contracting parties as revealed by the language of the agreement at issue. Sayers v. Rochester Telephone Corp. ,
If the court determines that the provision is ambiguous, it must then determine whether there is extrinsic evidence regarding the parties' intent. See Gallien v. Connecticut General Life Ins. Co. ,
*472Williams & Sons Erectors v. South Carolina Steel ,
II. Plaintiff is Not Entitled to Summary Judgment on Her Breach of Contract Claim
A. The Agreement is Ambiguous and Presents a Genuine Issue of Material Fact
As a threshold consideration, the Court must determine whether the Agreement is ambiguous as a matter of law. See Sayers ,
Nonetheless, the Court finds that based on the undisputed evidence-including the Agreement itself, Plaintiff's and Rustico's June 30, 2015 telephone conversation, and the deposition testimony given in this matter-there existed consideration on both sides for the contract.
The Court finds that the precise nature of Plaintiff's promise under the Agreement is ambiguous as a matter of law because it can be reasonably interpreted in multiple ways. Sayers ,
With respect to the first interpretation, portions of the Agreement suggest that Rustico's non-compliance could result in Plaintiff going to law enforcement and seeking to initiate criminal prosecution against Rustico for the rape. Under each sub-part of the contract, the Agreement states, "failure to comply, I will file a legal suite [sic] of 'Rape of a child and incest'." (Id. at ECF 1.) This clause appears seven different times in the Agreement. Under the New York Penal Code, Rustico's alleged crime would be rape in the first degree.
With respect to the second interpretation, portions of the Agreement, including some of the same sections just discussed, suggest that Plaintiff intended only to bring a civil lawsuit in the event that Rustico failed to comply with the Agreement. The term "legal suite" (id. at ECF 1-2), even though it is misspelled, could refer to a civil, rather than criminal, proceeding. Although there is no specific cause of action for "rape of a child and incest," there is a cause of action for sexual battery, which would encompass Rustico's conduct. See LB on behalf of PB v. Hines , No. 15-CV-5238 (NSR),
With respect to the third interpretation, the Agreement also suggests a blanket promise by Plaintiff not to tell anyone about the incident, since it suggests not only forbearance on initiating civil or criminal proceedings (i.e. , the public), but references family members as well, such as Plaintiff's and Rustico's "parents" (Dkt. 103-7 at ECF 2)
Because the agreement is ambiguous as a matter of law, the Court must now determine "whether there is extrinsic evidence regarding the parties' intent." Kliszak v. Pyramid Management Grp., Inc. , No. 96-CV-0041E (SC),
The Court concludes that, although there is some extrinsic evidence showing that Plaintiff's promise under the Agreement was not to file a civil lawsuit, there is not enough to resolve the outstanding issues of fact. The extrinsic evidence comes from two exchanges during the deposition of Jess, the Agreement's drafter. In the first exchange, Jess testified about the meaning of the phrase "Failure to comply I will file legal suite of a child and incest." He stated the following:
"Q. Okay.
A. Failure to comply I will file legal suite of a child and incest. (In English.)
Q. So that phrase is your contribution to that paragraph?
A. Yes."
(Jess Quinio Dep., at 23.) Then, Jess testifies that the phrase was a reference to a lawsuit:
"Q. Your testimony is that the phrase that "failure to comply will result" I am assuming lawsuit not law suite, correct?
A. Yes, I had the wrong spelling."
(Id. at 24.)
In the second exchange, Jess testified that he never intended to go to the authorities and have Rustico arrested for his crime:
"Q. Sir, was that statement made by Rusty after you told him that you were going to try to have him arrested?
A. I never said that I will have him arrested."
(Id. at 67.)
Although this evidence suggests that Plaintiff sought to punish Rustico's potential non-compliance with a civil suit, rather than a criminal prosecution or more general public disclosure, it does not clarify the ambiguity of the Agreement itself. Amazingly, there is no evidence in the record that either Plaintiff's or Defendants' counsel inquired about the arrest warrant or other Family Court forms that were attached to the Agreement.
The remaining ambiguity after consideration of the existing extrinsic evidence also means that the Court should not apply the doctrine of contra proferentem to construe the ambiguity against Plaintiff as the party who drafted the Agreement. Morgan Stanley Group Inc. v. New England Ins. Co. ,
In sum, the Court finds that the Agreement is ambiguous and presents a genuine issue of material fact, which precludes granting summary judgment to Plaintiff on her breach of contract claim.
B. Public Policy Concerns and the Need for a Special Verdict Sheet
Parties to a civil dispute have the right to chart their own litigation course, absent any affront to public policy. Mitchell v. New York Hosp. ,
Even though the Court refrains from voiding the Agreement outright on public policy grounds because of the questions of fact discussed above, the Court discusses the public policy issues relating to the *476Agreement, as they will be relevant at any trial in this matter. Courts throughout the country have found that "the public policy interest at stake[,] the reporting of possible crimes to the authorities[,] is one of the highest order and is indisputably 'well defined and dominant' in the jurisprudence of contract law."
In the event that a reasonable trier of fact were to determine that the Agreement intended to punish Rustico's non-compliance with potential criminal prosecution, the Agreement would be void for public policy reasons. The Court finds that the facts of this case correspond closely to those in Cosby v. American Media, Inc. ,
Here, the Agreement would be illegal if a jury were to find that Plaintiff promised to conceal information from law enforcement authorities about the rape in exchange for financial compensation. Contrary to Plaintiff's argument, it is immaterial that Plaintiff waited twenty-three years to initiate the Agreement, i.e. , long after the formerly applicable five-year statute of limitations for rape in the first degree had run
To address this issue, the Court will use a special verdict sheet at trial to determine whether the jury specifically finds that at least one of Plaintiff's obligations under the Agreement was not to alert law enforcement authorities about the rape, provided that Rustico made good on his part of the Agreement. The use of a special verdict sheet is necessary to prevent the possibility of a verdict in Plaintiff's favor that is based on a contract that should be void as against public policy. The Court will instruct the jury as to the applicable law, and the jury will be required to specify each of its unanimous findings as to whether Plaintiff agreed to forbear on speaking to law enforcement or seeking criminal prosecution in exchange for the financial compensation outlined in the Agreement. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 49 (authorizing court to require jury to return a special verdict only in the form of a special written finding on each issue of fact).
C. Defendants' Affirmative Defenses
In her summary judgment motion, Plaintiff seeks to preclude Defendants from pursuing any of their affirmative defenses at trial.
1. Defendants May Not Present a Duress Defense at Trial
Defendants seek to offer a defense of duress to show that Rustico was coerced into signing the Agreement.
*478Citibank N.A. v. Real Coffee Trading Co. N.V. ,
Here, Defendants may not present a duress defense because Rustico did not promptly disaffirm the Agreement. Instead, on June 30, 2015-approximately six years after the parties signed the Agreement-Rustico affirmed his financial obligations during a taped telephone conversation with Plaintiff and Jess. Rustico admitted that he was obligated to provide compensation to Plaintiff, but stated that he was financially unable to do so. Rustico conceded that he was willing to pay Plaintiff $200 per month, but could not pay more. (Dkt. 103-11, at ECF 1) ("What am I going to pay with? [Unintelligible] ... [W]ith meager pension ... I'm going to give $200 a month."). Later in the conversation, Plaintiff asks Rustico to transfer his property in the Philippines, one of the terms of the Agreement, and Rustico agrees. (Id. at ECF 3) ("I will have it [the property in the Philippines] transferred to your [Plaintiff's] name."). Rustico also asks for Plaintiff's "forgiveness" during the conversation. (Id. at ECF 6.) These statements indicate that Rustico intended to be bound by the Agreement, or at least parts of it. Even assuming that Rustico was under duress at the time he signed the Agreement, he did not "promptly" disaffirm his obligations under the Agreement and instead ratified them. Based on the undisputed facts, Rustico is not entitled to claim duress as a matter of law. Accordingly, Rustico will not be allowed to assert a duress defense at trial.
2. Defendants May Present an Incompetence Defense at Trial in Accordance with the Court's Previous Daubert Rulings
Defendants seek to introduce a defense that Rustico was incompetent at the time he signed the contract. On July 12, 2017, the Court held a Daubert hearing to determine the admissibility of the testimony of Defendants' proposed expert, Dr. Sandlin Lowe. (7/12/17 ECF Entry.) Following a hearing at which Dr. Lowe testified, the Court issued an order precluding his testimony, subject to Defendants submitting medical literature supporting Dr. Lowe's opinion that scans of Rustico's brain showed that his cognitive difficulties began eight to ten years prior to Dr. Lowe's examination of him. (8/7/17 ECF Entry.) Defendants failed to do so. Nonetheless, Defendants still seek to offer non-expert evidence in support of their incompetence defense, noting that the Court suggested at the Daubert hearing that this evidence would be permissible during trial.
The Court affirms its previous position that Defendants can introduce lay testimony in support of their incompetence defense. In contract disputes, the test for a *479person's mental capacity is whether the person's mind was "so affected as to render him wholly and absolutely incompetent to comprehend and understand the nature of the transaction." Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation v. Noureeva-Francois ,
The weight to be given to Defendants' lay witnesses' testimony is for the jury to determine. Ortelere v. Teachers' Retirement Bd. of the City of N.Y. ,
Plaintiff argues that the incompetence defense should be banned on the same grounds as the duress defense: that Rustico never disavowed the Agreement and instead ratified it during the June 2015 phone call. (Dkt. 103-22, at 12.) Plaintiff's argument, however, ignores the possibility that Rustico's alleged incompetence continued after the Agreement was signed and thus affected his decisions both at the time he signed the Agreement and when he ratified it six years later. Because Defendants allege that Rustico continuously suffered from mental incapacity, the jury must determine whether this condition impaired his ability to act reasonably at both points in time. See Reid ,
3. Defendants May Not Present Their Jurisdictional Defenses at Trial
Defendants seek to introduce two jurisdictional defenses: that the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over this case and that it lacks personal jurisdiction over Rustico. The Court rejects both of these arguments. Regarding subject matter jurisdiction, the Court notes that the parties are of diverse citizenship-Plaintiff lives in New Jersey and Defendants live in Queens, New York-and that Plaintiff seeks damages of $1,172,000, well over the jurisdictional threshold of $75,000. Defendants thus will not be permitted to present their subject matter jurisdiction defense at trial.
Establishing personal jurisdiction over a party "requires satisfaction of three primary elements": (1) procedurally proper service of process on the defendant; (2) a statutory basis for personal jurisdiction;
*480and (3) the exercise of jurisdiction must be consistent with "constitutional due process principles." Licci ex rel. Licci v. Lebanese Canadian Bank, SAL ,
Here, there is no dispute that Defendants were properly served. It is similarly undisputed that Rustico and Lerma live in Kew Gardens, Queens, which is part of the Eastern District of New York. Furthermore, Defendants raise no "constitutional due process" issues related to personal jurisdiction. Therefore, the Court finds that it has personal jurisdiction over Rustico, and Defendants will not be permitted to present their personal jurisdiction defense at trial.
4. Defendants May Not Present Their Statute of Frauds Defense at Trial
Defendants seek to introduce a defense that the Agreement is barred by the statute of frauds. The statute of frauds requires that certain agreements be in writing in order to be enforceable. Section 5-701 of New York's General Obligations Law, in which the statute of frauds is codified, provides, in relevant part:
a. Every agreement, promise or undertaking is void, unless it or some note or memorandum thereof be in writing, and subscribed by the party to be charged therewith, or by his lawful agent, if such agreement, promise or undertaking:
1. By its terms is not to be performed within one year from the making thereof or the performance of which is not to be completed before the end of a lifetime....
Under New York law, the "writing" necessary to satisfy the statute of frauds need not consist of one formal document. It may be "pieced together out of separate writings", not all of which need to be signed. Crabtree v. Elizabeth Arden Sales Corp. ,
Based on the undisputed facts in this case, the Court finds that the Agreement satisfies the statute of frauds. Even though the Agreement consists of three sections-as opposed to one unified document-it establishes a contractual relationship between the parties. The Agreement and the June 2015 telephone conversation establish that the parties came to an agreement on most, if not all, of the terms. Accordingly, Defendants will not be permitted to present their statute of frauds defense at trial.
5. Defendants May Not Present a Statute of Limitations Defense at Trial
Defendants seek to introduce a defense that this case is time-barred by the statute of limitations. The Court disagrees. The Agreement was signed on November 20, 2009. Plaintiff brought this action on August 20, 2015, three months before the *481statute of limitations expired. See CPLR § 213(2) (stating a six year statute of limitations for breach of contract claims). Therefore, Defendants will not be permitted to use a statute of limitations defense at trial.
6. Defendants' Remaining Defenses
Based on the foregoing, Defendants will be allowed to present the following defenses or affirmative defenses at trial: (1) that the Agreement is a contract of adhesion; (2) that the Agreement is void as being against public policy; and (3) that there was an accord and satisfaction that modified the Agreement. Each of these defenses involves a question of fact that must be determined by a jury.
III. There Is a Genuine Issue of Material Fact as to whether Plaintiff is Entitled to Specific Performance that Precludes Summary Judgment
Plaintiff seeks specific performance of the contractual terms, including conveyance of the properties in the Philippines and title to 40% of Defendants' joint retirement account. Because there are genuine disputes of material fact for the jury to resolve, it would be premature for the Court to address specific performance. Accordingly, Plaintiff's claim for specific performance is denied.
IV. Plaintiff is Not Entitled to a Declaratory Judgment Binding Lerma
Plaintiff seeks to bind Lerma to a judgment declaring that Plaintiff is the rightful owner of 40% of Rustico's retirement plan, and 40% of any retirement benefits to which Rustico is entitled (including Lerma's retirement benefits held in the joint account at the UN Federal Credit Union). (Dkt. 103-22, at 24.) The Court denies this request because there remains a dispute issue of material fact relating to the retirement account. The Agreement states: "Provide documentation regarding your retirement plan, forty percent (40%) of your retirement plan will be given to me." (Dkt. 103-7, at ECF 1 (emphasis added).) Yet the parties dispute whether "your retirement plan" includes both Rustico and Lerma's retirement benefits. Plaintiff argues that the parties intended this phrase to include both Rustico and Lerma's retirement assets. Defendants argue that the Agreement as written makes no mention whatsoever of Lerma, and is not signed by her. This issue of fact must be resolved by the jury. The Court, therefore, cannot issue a declaratory judgment regarding Plaintiff's ownership of any retirement account covered by the Agreement at this time.
CONCLUSION
For the reasons stated herein, Plaintiff's motion for summary judgment is granted in part and denied in part. The parties will submit a joint pre-trial order by October 25, 2018, and the Court will schedule a pre-trial conference thereafter.
SO ORDERED.
"Pl's. 56.1" refers to Plaintiff's 56.1 Statement. (Dkt. 103-21.) Unless otherwise noted, a standalone citation to Plaintiff's 56.1 Statement denotes that this Court has deemed the underlying factual allegation undisputed. Any citations to Plaintiff's 56.1 Statement incorporates by reference the documents cited therein. Where relevant, however, the Court may cite directly to the underlying document.
Plaintiff goes by the name "Susan" and is referred to as Susan in the deposition transcripts. (Id. at ¶ I-I.)
"ECF" refers to the pagination generated by the Court's CM/ECF docketing system and not the document's internal pagination.
In their amended answer (Dkt. 73), Defendants assert an affirmative defense that there was no consideration for the Agreement. In their opposition to Plaintiff's motion, however, Defendants do not elaborate on the basis for this defense.
Defendants will not be permitted to argue as a defense at trial that the Agreement lacked consideration.
Notably, after Rustico's alleged breach of the Agreement, Plaintiff told her story to the New York Post, who published an article on August 30, 2015. See Kathianne Boniello, Woman Says She Was Raped, Impregnated by Brother , N.Y. Post , Aug. 30, 2015, available at https://nypost.com/2015/08/30/woman-says-brother-raped-impregnated-her/.
In this vein, the Court also notes that even though Defendants included an affirmative defense based on public policy in their amended complaint, they never made any arguments or introduced any evidence that the Agreement could be construed as threatening criminal prosecution-a potentially dispositive aspect of the case-until the Court asked for supplemental briefing on this topic. Defendants' counsel not only failed to explore the public policy issue with respect to this contract, discussed infra , but also did not move for summary judgment on the basis of this affirmative defense or any of their other affirmative defenses.
At the time Rustico raped Plaintiff in August 1986, the applicable statute of limitations for the criminal prosecution of rape was five years. See NY Criminal Procedure Law § 30.10. The New York Legislature, however, changed the provision on June 23, 2006 to eliminate the statute of limitations for rape claims. 2006 Sess. Law News of N.Y. Ch. 3 (S. 8441) (McKinney's) (stating that a prosecution for "rape in the first degree ... may be commenced at any time").
In addition to the affirmative defenses from Defendants' amended complaint, Defendants also suggest that Rustico should not be bound by the Agreement because he did not read it. However, under New York law, parties who have signed a contract are under the obligation to first read it, and cannot avoid a contract's effects on the ground that they did not read or understand its contents. Marciano v. DCH Auto Group ,
Defendants offer separate defenses of duress and coercion. (See Dkt. 73, at 3.) The Court treats these defenses as the same for purposes of analysis. See Playboy Enter. Int'l, Inc. v. On Line Entm't, Inc. , 00-CV-6618 (DGT),
Grounds upon which a contract is voidable include fraud, duress, mental illness, intoxication, and infancy. See Reid v. IBM Corp. , No. 95-CV-1755 (MBM),
The Court stated at the Daubert hearing that Defendants can offer "other nonexpert evidence contemporaneous with the signing [of the Agreement] saying [Rustico] wasn't in his right [mind], and I assume the defendant himself may or may not testify that he didn't know what he was doing, to buttress some incompetence defense." (Transcript of 7/12/17 Daubert hearing, Dkt. 105-1, at 103:1-8.)
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Maria Rossana Aala QUINIO v. Rustico AALA, and Lerma Aala
- Cited By
- 11 cases
- Status
- Published