A doctor who said he was in the hospital room of the late Martha Lou Harris, 71 years old, last year when she was offered a $400,000 settlement in a civil suit against the state, is prepared to testify that Mrs. Harris, mother of a murder victim, accepted the bid, according to court documents filed in the last 24 hours.
This is the latest stunning turn in a winding case that stems from the murder of JoAnn Crystal Harris, 29 years old, four years ago at the Culver City National Guard Armory.
Sate Dep. Atty. Gen. David Adida informed the court that Dr. Mofa Kamal “was in Mrs. Harris’s hospital room when Mrs. Harris was presented with, and agreed to, the state’s $400,000 offer to settle the case.”
Yesterday, according to the court documents, lawyers from the Attorney General’s office spoke by telephone with Dr. Kamal. They “advised him he needed to be deposed about his knowledge regarding the events.”
Dr. Kamal “volunteered that indeed he was present when Mrs. Harris’s attorney (at the time), Robert McNeill, presented the settlement offer to her.”
Dr. Kamal “witnessed her consenting to it.” He added that “it was his belief that it is Mrs. Harris’s children who convinced her to repudiate the settlement agreement.” He added that “a veiled threat has been made against him by one of Mrs. Harris’s children.”
The civil suit, which claims Martha Lou Harris was too ill to make such a momentous decision, tentatively was scheduled to go to trial next Monday. But that date was scotched this morning in light of sudden developments.
Mr. Adida plans to depose Dr. Kamal on that date, and a new hearing was set for Monday, Dec. 5.
“The Dec. 5 date is very good,” Mr. Adida told the newspaper, “because it will allow us to depose Dr. Kamal on Monday and get his deposition transcript transcribed in time to file papers with the court, if necessary, to postpone the Harris trial until the state's breach of settlement contract claim is resolved.”
The Attorney General’s office counter-sued the Bennett-Harris family last month, asserting that Martha Lou Harris approved of the settlement some 10 months before her death this past August.
Ms. Harris’s mother and three siblings originally sued the state for negligence after the pregnant young woman, said to be interested in a National Guard career, was murdered by Guard Sgt. Scott A. Ansman, a married career veteran. Mr. Ansman is serving a life-without-parole sentence.
