Sunday, June 9, 2002
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Sunday, June 9, 2002 |
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Beverley 'scared to death' when she cancelled divorce action By JOHN
MUNFORD
When Beverley Watson signed court papers withdrawing her legal request to divorce her husband Jim on Jan. 18, 1995, she appeared "Frightened, scared to death, shaking," her divorce attorney testified in court Friday. Jim Bischoff said that he was "vehemently opposed" to Beverley Watson dropping the divorce case, which is why he had her sign the document before he filed the dismissal papers in Fayette County Superior Court two days later. Bischoff explained that normally when a client requests the drop of a divorce case he will sign the document for them. But in this case, since he was against Beverly dropping the divorce case, he required her to come to his office and sign the document herself. Bischoff said he didn't recall getting any tapes from Beverley Watson but he did show her how to secretly record conversations with her husband. If Bischoff received tapes from Beverley, he would have returned them to her after the case was dismissed, he testified. Bischoff said he usually suggested such actions to his clients "...when I think among other things there is a danger." In questioning Bischoff, defense attorney Ricky Morris Jr. pointed out that court papers to initiate the divorce were not filed until Aug. 4, 1994 four months after Beverley Watson first met with Bischoff to discuss filing a divorce action against her husband. The couple later reconciled as several witness have already testified in the case. But while the case was pending, the couple was separated. Morris also pointed out how Jim Watson was not served with the temporary restraining order issued as a part of that divorce case until three days after the papers were filed. That order restrained both Jim Watson and Beverley Watson from being in each others' presence according to testimony. Morris asked Bischoff if he could have had the papers served sooner to Jim Watson. Bischoff replied that he could have done so by hiring a private process server instead of paying the Sheriff's Department to serve the papers on Jim Watson.
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