Would the Big Bad Wolf prevail in his tort claim for damages that he filed against Curly Pig after he was injured falling into a vat of boiling water at Pig’s home? One hundred fifth-graders from OPS’s Liberty Elementary School watched the (mock) trial held in their gym, with 12 of them serving as jurors, at the Omaha Bar Association’s 2019 Law Day Mock Trial. 

Although the venue was different (the trial is usually held in a Federal Courtroom), the objective was the same: to educate students about the legal system in an interesting and entertaining way. Mission accomplished, thanks to the enthusiastic participation of everyone involved.

While it was curious that Pig used a cauldron to heat water for tea just before Wolf tried to climb into the brick house through the chimney, the jury was inclined to believe the argument of Pig’s attorney, Joe Bradley. Perhaps it was the fact that Wolf had previously destroyed Pig’s brothers’ houses and eaten them that colored their decision, despite the objections of Wolf’s attorney, Don Kleine. Or was it the admonitions of the judge, Hon. Joseph Bataillon? Whatever the reason, after spirited deliberations under the tutelage of Ann Miller, the jury found in favor of Curley Pig in a close 7-5 split vote. The actors were all volunteers from the Rose Theatre.