Judge Asks Dueling Lawyers to Draw Their Checkbooks

Superior Court Judge Lance A. Ito has tried again and again to control the courtroom behavior of lawyers in the murder trial of O.J. Simpson. He has scolded them in front of the jury and has spelled out his rules of decorum in painstaking detail.

But Thursday, his response to yet another outburst was to slam his hands down on his desk, glare and take some money out of their pockets.

When defense lawyer Peter Neufeld and Deputy Dist. Atty. George Clarke got into a brief verbal tussle in front of the jury, Ito hit his desk and glared at the attorneys: “Both of you,” he growled, motioning the snickering jurors to leave the room.

As soon as the jury was gone, Ito glared down at the attorneys and said: “Both counsel are sanctioned $250. Get your checkbooks out.”

When the two hesitated, Ito added, “Right now.”

Stunned, the two attorneys fumbled to come up with the money. Neufeld produced a checkbook--outside court, he said he wrote an out-of-town check, drawn on a Brooklyn bank. Clarke turned to fellow prosecutor Christopher A. Darden, who reached into a pocket and handed his colleague a wad of cash.

Ito muttered “thank God it’s almost Friday,” as the lawyers paid their fines to his clerk. The judge specifically ordered the attorneys not to bill their clients for the transgression.

“Thank you,” Simpson said.

“You’re welcome,” Ito responded.

Despite that order, Clarke--who, ironically, is one of the most easygoing attorneys on either side--got some quick support from colleagues in San Diego, where he normally is assigned.

Praising Clarke for his “thoroughly professional job in the Simpson case,” Assistant Dist. Atty. Greg Thompson circulated a memo to other prosecutors in the office asking for donations to the “Woody Clarke Fine Fund.”