High school mock trials teams across New Jersey worked to develop a compelling case around the untimely death of an award-winning West Highland Terrier named Sally. The dog’s owner, Carmen Capella, claims a flea treatment product led to Sally’s demise and is suing the product manufacturer for her loss of income. The defendant, Petzicon Products, Inc., claims the plaintiff cannot meet its burden of proof since there is not sufficient evidence that the product was the proximate cause of Sally’s death.
This yearly legal competition is a prestigious event, showcasing talents of our most ambitious and hard-working teens. Each participating school must form an argument on both sides, the plaintiff and the defense, and prepare to compete against other teams at the civil courthouse in Atlantic City.
The ACS Mock Trial team had a total of six matches this year – four at a scrimmage invitational at Brick Township High School, and two trials in the county-level competition. On January 21st, ACS represented the plaintiff, Carmen Capella, in a match against Holy Spirit High School. On January 22nd, ACS represented the defendant, W. Pat. O’Connell of Petzicon Products, Inc. in a match against Oakcrest High School. Our teams won the jury verdict in each trial of Round 1 but to our disappointment, the judges’ scores did not qualify us to advance to the next round.
At our end-of-season-recap meeting, we reviewed video clips from both trials and discussed the strengths and weaknesses of each student’s performance. Atlantic Christian School’s director of admissions, Jessica Martin, joined us to share feedback based on her observation of the trial.
Next year, we are losing two graduating seniors from the team, Joshua Kinch (4 years) and Lauren Einwechter, who was new to the team this year and played the role of the dog’s owner. Our three jury members have consistently attended practices and helped our team members to prepare. They are looking forward to being promoted next year to witness or lawyer roles.
The ACS Mock Trial team will be back and stronger than ever next year! Registration for the 2025-26 ACS Mock Trial Team will open in September and a new case will be released in October. For more information, go online to mocktrial.acseht.org or email rhahn-chaney@acseht.org.