Posted on 08/04/2004 6:54:24 AM PDT by dukeman
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The antics in the trial of a Walt Disney World worker accused of groping a 13-year-old girl's breast while posing for photos dressed as Tigger would be downright goofy if the charges weren't so serious.
Jurors will get the chance to try on a Tigger costume in the jury room. Walt Disney World officials suggested Tigger's costume be altered before being introduced as evidence. The defense attorney moonlights as Goofy and Tigger at the theme park resort.
"This whole trial has a bunch of things unique about it," Matt Benefiel, court administrator for the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Orlando, said Tuesday on the second day of trial, which is expected to last through Wednesday.
Michael Chartrand, 36, is accused of misdemeanor battery and lewd and lascivious molestation, a felony. If convicted he faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. He rejected a plea offer on Monday that would have kept him out of prison.
He was suspended without pay from his job and his fiance left him after he was arrested in April.
During deliberations, jurors will get the chance to try on the Tigger costume. Defense attorney Jeffrey Kaufman Jr. said he wanted the jurors to feel what it's like inside the hot, stuffy costume so they know how difficult it is to wear.
"Johnny Cochran with the glove thing might be outdone," said Kaufman, referring to the O.J. Simpson trial.
Benefiel said he can't remember another case where jurors were allowed to try on an outfit.
But the use of the Tigger costume during the trial worried Disney officials enough that a company attorney suggested to the defense attorney that the costume be dyed black and white and its ears be removed, Kaufman said last week.
The Tigger costume, covered in a black garment bag and stuffed in a cardboard box, was entered into evidence as state's exhibit No. 7 on Tuesday. Later, Kaufman pulled out the costume's head, bodysuit, tail and paws out the box to show the detective who investigated the case. Kaufman stuck his arm in the orange and black-striped head and held it up to show how vision is limited in the costume before placing it back in the box.
Disney officials hoped the costume would be treated with respect.
"Our hope is that the use of our costume will be handled with appropriate sensitivity so as to preserve the dreams and magic for our younger guests as much as possible," Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak said.
Prosecutor William Jay told jurors during opening arguments that such magic was stolen from the victim when she posed with Tigger and her mother for photos last February.
"He abused his job as a costumed character to steal a little girl's innocence," Jay said.
Much of the trial's contention hinges on whether photos show Tigger's hands on the breasts of the girl and her mother, who later told her daughter she too was groped. Disagreement also centered on whether Disney characters are allowed to place their hands on guests when posing for pictures.
The girl's former stepfather testified that he didn't notice anything unusual when he took a picture of Tigger with the girl and his then-wife.
Several Disney employees offered conflicting testimony on whether Disney policy prohibited touching visitors around the waist or along the rib cage.
Jeff Dillman, Chartrand's manager at Disney, told jurors that Disney was worried about the perception of where characters' hands might appear to be in a photo and liked the hands to be visible. Disney now requires employees who work as characters to sign a document promising not to make any inappropriate touching, Kaufman told jurors.
Kaufman, who moonlights at the theme park resort working sometimes as Goofy and Tigger, took the job for free.
"Disney characters don't make any money. They're broke," Kaufman said. "There are hundreds of issues that come up, that, I hate to say, if you haven't worn the costume and you haven't worked there, you don't understand."
Sounds like something he'd do.
Thank God there's only one of him.
With the costume on, he may not have even known where his hands were, much less if he was groping!! I doubt there's much tactile response through the material.
What kind of "motive" gets through those gloves?
Wonder if the defense attorney has taken a good look at the divorce papers on this mother ~ noticing, of course, that he's already found the ex-husband to testify on his client's behalf!
One stands there eyes wide open, mouth agape, anticipating the next surprise.
How do you become a "former stepfather"?
I've heard that there are a whole bunch of deviated preverts that get turned on by dressing up in animal costumes. I bet they get alot of these kind of weirdos because the pay's so low.
"The defense attorney moonlights as Goofy and Tigger at the theme park resort."
He should conduct the defense in his Tigger costume.
(Lawsuit)
Tiggers don't like groping.
Meanwhile, on "Gay Day," the lines are long at "The Tunnel Of Love" as Disney officials look on approvingly.
This makes sense. Hubby has a friend who says one of these characters (can't remember which one) squeezed his butt while they were taking a picture with his kids. Knowing the stance about the gay lifestyle Disney encourages this guy was rather upset.
Since Disney caters to perverts I can't see why anyone would be surprised that Tigger would grope a little girl. The only thing I find surprising is that it wasn't a little boy.
The wonderful thing about Tiggers,
Is Tiggers are wonderful things.
Their tops are made out of rubber,
their bottoms are made out of springs.
Hmmmm,
Gotta think about the gropping stuff.
First of all, I hardly see how this could have robbed a 13 year old girls 'innocence' and as the father of 3 girls, 2 of whom have already passed the 13 year old range, someone needs to teach her the proper response. Tigger, Pooh, Mickey-----they all got sensitives areas and will respond when a 13 year old girls applies all the force she can summon as a counter move to this kind of touching. And it would make a terrific souvenier picture! People gotta toughen up.
I think the bulky costume and probably poor line of vision you have when you wear it are going to be the main lines of defense.
Ha! The cute rhymes are exactly why Disney is trying to obscure the costume from public view during the trial. Bad publicity.
Good grief. Have these people not seen those costume paws? They're not hands, they're big cushioned oven mitts or something along the lines of sponge football fingers. It's recommended that kids bring those giant markers when they want autographs so the characters can grasp them (the markers, not the kids). Some characters even have helpers to sign for them because the costume does not allow them the dexterity.
And what about that Christopher Robin dude? Don't you think it's strange that he only hangs around with animals? And where are the parents?
Good pic for use in the cops' photo array of suspects!
Wouldn't the photos reveal where the hands were?
"!!THIS IS A FOX NEWS ALERT!!!!"
I have several friends in the entertainment department at Disney who work as characters. They tell me those costumes are definitely hard to move around with or see out of. The best description I can give is wearing a thick heavy carpet. Each costume is different though, and I do not know how bad it is for Tigger. King Louie's coustume, for example, has arms and paws that are longer than the wearer inside(person's hands go to about his elbows), so he has no control of his hands. I've heard about a lady who thought he was groping her, because his hands touched her chest. The problem was, there were no people hands inside the character hands! The old pooh costume used to have the person's head inside the honey pot, and their arms inside the head, so pooh's hands and arms kind of flapped around.(new costume is not like this)
Every costume is different. I think it is a good idea to have the jurors try on the "glove" to see for themselves just how much flexibility Tigger has with his hands. My guess is not much.
The character you play is based on your size - I started out as TweedleDee or TweedleDum, then Goofy and Pluto, finally Tigger. If memory serves, in Tigger you can only see out through the nose and mouth. It's like being in a space-suit, a very hot space suit. To play any character you learn to make certain moves and gestures (Tigger bounces a lot) and that's about it. You NEVER speak to the guests or in any way come "out of character". Most of the time you were onstage (i.e. out in the park) with a costumed employee who would help you get off-stage if needed. Sometimes you could be overrun by too many small children (hard to see, easy to trip over).
I can tell you my favorite was Tigger because ALL the girls loved Tigger!
I can also so say without reservation that trying to cop a feel through the thick padding and fabric of Tigger's paws would be useless. I don't think I could really tell you if I had my hand on a breast, or not. You put your arms around their shoulders or waist (the guests often told you how they wanted to pose) and someone takes a picture. All in about 10-15 seconds, then here comes the next one. If your arms were over the guest's shoulders, then the paws could easily hang down on top of a woman's breasts, but the guy inside wouldn't be getting any thrills because he couldn't feel any "details" if you know what I mean.
IMHO, and based on extensive experience, this charge is pure BS.
Is this the one where Tigger supposedly groped the daughter AND the mother, but the mother didn't complain?
The local rag, the Orlando Slantinel, and the AP are slanting this story for some reason.
The child's former stepfather was on the local TV station this morning emphatically stating that nothing happened and that they all walked away from the park happy as could be. He seemed very concerned that the alledged perp was being railroaded, who incidently turned down a plea bargain, to get his day in court.
He has no motive since his divorce from the child's mother was mutually amicable. I'd say the mom (who claims she was groped too) has a motive all her own and that SHE is the one harming the little girl.
It sounds like it. I first heard of this story today when I found it in my hometown newspaper here in Florida.
Your reasoning seems sound on this.
"Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.
Your reasoning on this seems sound.
Uh-oh, sounds like a Michael Neadow special!
bump
'Tigger' worker acquitted of fondling teen
Man who portrayed Disney character wants job back
I saw this on CNN's website. Tomorrows headline? Tigger gets off.
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