A Marriott employee has accused Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin of misconduct. The accusation got Irvin pulled from a pair of TV jobs during Super Bowl week.
Irvin has responded with a $100 million lawsuit, and an aggressive effort to get any surveillance video that Marriott has in its possession that would demonstrate what actually happened between Irvin and his accuser. The federal judge that is now presiding over the case has given Marriott a firm deadline for responding Irvin’s request for the video.
Via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, Marriott has until 5:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday to respond. That doesn’t mean the video must be produced by then; it only means that Marriott must submit an actual response. A word-salad of objections (something lawyers paid handsomely by the hour pride themselves on whipping up) likely will be the front-line reply.
Marriott previously objected to the request when the case was pending in state court, firing off the predictable and common assertion of the attorney-client privilege and work-product doctrine as justification. If Marriott does it again, Irvin’s lawyers will file a motion to compel the production of the materials, and the judge will have to make a decision.
It’s hard to imagine how or why the judge would allow Marriott to hide relevant evidence that goes directly to the question of whether Irvin engaged in any type of wrongdoing.
It feels like Marriott has something to hide, because this is exactly what something with something to hide would do.