February 12, 2025
Vocational students gain real world trial experience and civics in action!
Sixteen 11th grade students from the Legal and Protective Services (LPS) career program at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School (Franklin) held a mock trial at the Milford District Court on Wednesday. They served as lawyers and witnesses in a complicated civil lawsuit. They invited a 12th grade elective Civics class to serve as jurors at the court by listening to testimony, weighing evidence, and ultimately rendering a verdict in the case. The trial was presided over by Judge Richard Eustis.
The LPS students worked on preparing the case for weeks. On Wednesday they demonstrated impressive competence in their legal analysis that required them to recall many procedural lessons learned over years within their LPS shop. The case was a fictitious, civil lawsuit in which a young child died after ingesting unique plastic beads manufactured by a toy company. The parent sued the toy manufacturer under a theory of strict liability for a defective product because the design included a chemical additive on the beads. The defendant toy manufacturer brought evidence to suggest that the child’s previous health conditions, coupled with inadequate supervision, were the actual causes of the child’s death.
The nature of a mock trial requires real preparation. It is not a scripted performance. Rather, the students all had access to over 100 pages of highly technical evidence and expected witness statements, but they had to synthesize the information and strategize theories on their own. The trial materials were designed to provide equally viable cases for the plaintiff side and the defense side so that the team with a favorable verdict knows they earn it through their effective arguments in court.
The trial took place over two-and-a-half hours where eight witnesses were called to the stand for direct- and cross-examination. Several pieces of physical evidence were introduced, including an autopsy report, toxicology screenings, and safety data sheets for the additive coating on the plastic beads. There was conflicting evidence about whether the manufacturer was aware of the potential harm for the additive. The jury continued their deliberations into the second day before rendering a verdict finding the defendant Happyland Toy Co. NOT LIABLE on the claim of defective product.
"Working on this mock trial expanded our understanding of the law and how it works. There is truly no amount of experience quite like actually being involved in it. " -Rylan Theberge, Plainville
Student participants:
Pedro Andrade, Mackenzie Duffy, Ashley Forrester, Liam Goldsmith, Colleen Kennally, Harris Levinson, Mateusz Loqui, Lynn Plante, Makenzy Quigley, Damien Rodriguez, Aquila Rossi, Aliyah Turbides, Aaron Waters, Victoria Wilson