Shawn King hired Humpty Dumpty to sit on a wall to help promote his auto dealership, King’s Kar World. King provided a molded seat for the egg to sit on for her comfort. What happened next was left for a jury to determine. 

Humpty Dumpty lost her balance and fell several feet, shattering her shell. King and all of King's men tried to put Humpty back together, but the damage was done. She claimed she now had a fear of heights and couldn't work as a promoter any longer. 

Humpty Dumpty sued King, seeking financial damages for her injuries. 

It was up to a jury of her peers, but since an impartial dozen of eggs couldn't be trusted to render a fair judgment, fifth-grade students from Loveland Elementary School acted as the jury. 

The mock trial, conducted at the Roman L. Hruska Federal Courthouse with Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter Jr. presiding, matched Nathan Klein, a deputy Douglas County attorney, and private attorney Joe Bradley as the lawyers. The April 17 mock trial was part of the Omaha Bar Association's Law Day observance. 

With Klein serving as Dumpty's attorney, the plaintiff accused King of creating unsafe work conditions, resulting in injuries limiting the egg's earning potential. 

"You'll see how this brave and outgoing person and performer has been reduced to the sad figure that you see before you today, that their body has been weakened by pain, discomfort, and their mind is overwhelmed with fear that they may never do again what they want to do," Klein told jurors during his opening statement. 

During his opening, Bradley defended King, telling the jury of fifth graders from the District 66 school that the auto royalty sympathized with Humpty Dumpty, but wasn't responsible for the fall. 

"...the evidence will show that Mr. King and his employees took every precaution to ensure that Humpty Dumpty was safe, not because they thought they had to, but because that's the way King's Kar World does business," Bradley said. "The elements will further show that we must look beyond what Mr. King did or did not do to find the cause of Humpty Dumpty's fall, the evidence will give you the opportunity to consider what Humpty Dumpty herself did." 

During the trial, Dumpty said it began to rain and her seat became slick, possibly contributing to her fall. "Did you have any protection from the rain?" Klein said.

She sometimes brings an umbrella, but didn’t have one with her, Dumpty said. 

"I didn't think it was going to rain that day," she said. 

The wall she sat atop was about 8 feet high, Dumpty said. The parking lot was made from tar, she said. 

"(It) was really hard when I landed on it," Dumpty said. "It cracked me up pretty bad, and it hurt an awful lot. I remember lying there in a puddle, yelling for help, and there were all kinds of people running around. Someone brought me a blanket and put that over me." 

An ambulance arrived and took her to the hospital, Dumpty said. 

During cross-examination, Bradley asked Dumpty if she ever runs or walks on walls.

"(Reading from her deposition) It used to be a blast up on a wall," she said. "I'd run back-and-forth like a tightrope walker. Sometimes, I’d even rock back-and-forth and wave my arms around like I was going to fall off or something. People ate it up." 

Klein asked Dumpty if she was referring to King's Kar World on redirect. She wasn't running that day, Dumpty said. 

"That running back-and-forth stuff I used to do on little, lots walls, maybe a foot high,” she said. “You couldn't get hurt, even if you did fall off." 

King became visibly upset. 

"Liar!" King shouted. 

Judge Rossiter cautioned King against further outbursts. King then stormed out of the courtroom, but returned later. 

During his testimony, Harry Hollywood, Dumpty's agent, said he didn't believe Dumpty's fall was an accident. 

"Listen, people are still calling this deal an accident?" Hollywood said. "Personally, I think the kid was pushed." 

Bradley objected to the testimony. 

King was unhappy with the lack of customer turnout, blaming Dumpty, Hollywood said. 

"I says, 'What do you mean?'" he said. “What do you mean? We've been here for three days. Everybody in this town has already seen the kid. King says, like, 'There's a lot of people in this town I ain't sold cars to.'" 

Following the fall, King quickly paid Hollywood for Dumpty's appearance, including the additional salary he had earlier demanded from King, Hollywood said. Bradley asked Hollwood if he actually saw Dumpty fall. 

"I just said, I already told what I saw," Hollywood said. 

During his direct testimony, King said he hired Dumpty to be the featured star of a promotion. 

"She was part of the whole as a campaign based on the old nursery rhyme," King said. "You know, 'Let the King's Men put together a deal for you.' That sort of thing." 

The wall that Dumpty sat on was constructed from cinder blocks with a brick facade, so it appeared as a brick wall, King said. A chair was attached atop, so Dumpty would be comfortable, he said. 

During cross-examination, Klein asked King if he tested the chair for its safety in case it became wet. 

"Slippery? No, no I don't think the seat was slippery," King said. "It may not even have been wet. Humpty Dumpty was covering it up by sitting in it until she fell off." 

Following the testimony, the jury voted in favor of King, thus preventing Humpty Dumpty from receiving any financial settlement.

While the mock trial focused on a fairy tale, it offered young people an opportunity to see how a court works in reality, Klein said. 

"I like to see young people get involved and experience what the courthouse can be like in a positive way, to get to see the judge and attorneys and be a part of the process, because we need them, at some point to be on the jury rolls," he said. "It's really important that they be motivated to maybe even be a part of the process, because you just don't see a lot of this in daily life." 

For Bradley, who has participated in the mock trial for about 12 years, said it’s always a fun experience. 

"I exclusively practice in juvenile court, so I'm used to kind of being surrounded by these little moppets, but this is always one of my favorite days of the year, to see them here, and be excited and want to be involved," he said. 

Judge Rossiter said he appreciates the opportunity to help educate children about the law.

"They can relate, somewhat, to what goes on in the courtroom," he said. "And they get to see a courtroom, probably for most of them, for the first time."

Tim Trudell is a freelance writer and online content creator. His work has appeared in Flatwater Free Press, Next Avenue, Indian Country Today, Nebraska Life, Nebraska Magazine, Council Bluffs Daily Non-Pareil and Douglas County Post Gazette, among others. He is a citizen of the Santee Dakota Nation.