Students from two area school districts are trying to make their case this week in the district mock trial competition at the Monroe County Courthouse.

Palmerton and Jim Thorpe high school mock trial teams are among seven vying for a spot in the regional competition in Scranton in March.

Dates of the competition are Feb. 21, 22, and 27, with snow and playoff dates of Feb. 23 and 28, and March 1 and 6.

This year’s hypothetical case, Estate of Alejandro Desafios v. Storm Chase LLC, is a civil wrongful death and survival action in which the family and estate of Alejandro Desafios seek damages for the death of Mr. Desafios during an obstacle race.

Sponsored locally by the Monroe County Bar Association, the mock trial competition gives eight-member student teams the opportunity to argue both sides of a case in an actual courtroom before a judge. The students, who play the roles of lawyers and witnesses, are assisted by teacher coaches and lawyer advisers in preparing for competition.

Volunteer judges, lawyers, and community leaders serve as jurors in the trials. The juries determine the winners in each trial based on the teams’ abilities to prepare their cases, present arguments and follow court rules.

Joining Palmerton and Jim Thorpe are teams from Delaware Valley, East Stroudsburg South, Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg, Pocono Mountain West and Stroudsburg.

The case

Alejandro “Al” Desfaios was a warm soul to all that knew him with a competitive streak that ran strong whether at the office or as a weekend warrior. And nothing screamed challenge emerging from the pandemic more than the Storm Chase obstacle race taking place at Penn’s Peak in October 2021. But, like most events coming out of the pandemic, the organizers were a bit out of practice, and a bit too anxious to return to former glory and profitability. Waivers were signed by all participants and the ingredients for safety were all in place as directed by Chris Tempesto, the maestro of Storm Chase, LLC. But, as the day of the competition unfolded, not all was as it was meant to be. The event was overcrowded, the obstacles were not well policed, and a race that was meant to be a race against yourself turned into a full-on competition. The Abandoned Ship obstacle, in particular, was the most problematic of them all. And when Al “walked the plank” and fell into the muddy water below, that was the last time he was seen alive. Now, a jury must decide was this merely an accident where the victim assumed the risk or was Al’s death the result of negligence on the part of the organizers.

Moving forward

The winner of the local district competition will compete in the regional competition in Scranton on March 15 against the district winner from neighboring counties. From the regional competitions throughout the state, 14 teams will move on to compete in the Pennsylvania Mock Trial Championships in Harrisburg on March 24-25. The winning team will represent Pennsylvania in the national mock trial finals in Little Rock, Arkansas, on May 18-20.