There was another stall at the Phil Spector murder trial yesterday, which was postponed on Monday after the legendary producer's main lawyer, Bruce Cutler, fell ill. The judge hearing the case, Larry Paul Fidler, had hoped to get things moving again today, but it now looks like Cutler - who is believed to be having problems with medication he takes for diabetes - won't be well enough to resume the trial until next Monday.
However, there will be some court business relating to the case this week - though not in front of the jury. A row has begun behind the scenes in the court house following allegations by the prosecution that the defence have been withholding evidence. The row centres on potential defence witness Dr Henry Lee, who has appeared on US TV recently discussing the case. Prosecutor Alan Jackson claims he did not know about forensic evidence from the Doc (a forensics specialist) that the defence plan to present until he saw Lee talking about it on Court TV - after he'd delivered the opening statement for the prosecution. That, Jackson says, is the defence concealing evidence. But the defence argue that they have provided the court and prosecution with all the information they are required to do so, and that documents currently sealed by the court prove that is so.
How quickly Fidler plans to rule on the dispute, and what it will mean for the trial if he sides with the prosecution, I don't know. Nor whether the dispute could potentially delay the trial further, even once Cutler is back in good health. We'll try and find out.