"Here's a snap shot: Johnson-Klein will have to confront allegations of prescription pain medication addiction. During an evidentiary hearing this week, university attorneys claimed between October 25, 2004 and February 9, 2005, Johnson-Klein obtained 900 pills of hydrocodone and oxycontin from multiple doctors. Her attorney Warren Paboojian agreed in court that the former women's basketball coach took a bottle of prescription pain pills from a student, and Johnson-Klein suffered pain from a car accident in Oklahoma. The hearing is not a time for him to defend his client's actions. But her attorneys were successful in excluding other details of Johnson-Klein's personal life. Jurors WON'T hear about the following: her "lipoplasty" (aka liposuction), child custody disputes or divorce/disputes of Stacy Johnson-Klein or her husband Chuck Klein, testimony from prior nannies regarding disputes between Johnson-Klein and the nannies. Attorneys did not discuss those topics in court.
Fresno State also faces tough challenges. During a previous hearing, details surfaced for the first time in public about former men's basketball coach Ray Lopes. The judge is allowing Ray Lopes to testify, and the university will have to explain why Lopes received approximately $200,000 in compensation to resign from Fresno State. Johnson-Klein's attorneys want to know why Lopes received the compensation when he faced 457 major NCAA violations Johnson-Klein was reportedly not offered the same."
"10/18/07 - Stacy Johnson-Klein could be seen making facial gestures during some of Dr. John Welty's testimony today.
Watch Action News On Demand And this afternoon the judge admonished the plaintiffs' attorneys for expressions like those and said he may consider fining attorneys if the behavior continues. The warning came after a long day of questioning for the University president.
Dr. John Welty walked into court Thursday morning for what turned out to be nearly five hours of questioning.
Dr. Welty testified Stacy Johnson-Klein was fired for not only taking a half bottle of prescription painkillers from a player, but also skimming money from her staff's bonuses, and taking a trip to china, even though a member of her staff told her a scheduled tournament there had been cancelled.
But Johnson-Klein's attorneys claim her firing was inconsistent with the treatment of other coaches.
They questioned Dr. Welty about budget discrepancies with other coaches discovered in a university audit, who were not disciplined.
Much of the questions centered around the treatment of Ray Lopes, a former basketball coach who retired with a settlement agreement after admitting to more than 450 N-C Double A recruiting violations.
But under cross examination, Wetly told jurors, "I believe the act of taking prescription drugs from a player, in terms of affects on players, is much more serious than phone call violations."
Warning From the Bench in the Stacy Johnson-Klein vs. Fresno State Trial