Judge allows ex-astronaut’s attorneys to depose romantic rival again over pepper spray issue
By APWednesday, October 7, 2009
Ex-astronaut’s attorneys get to depose accuser
ORLANDO, Fla. — Attorneys for a former astronaut will get another chance to question a romantic rival she allegedly drove 1,000 miles to confront.
Lisa Nowak is accused of attacking Colleen Shipman in a Florida airport parking lot two years ago. Shipman had begun dating Nowak’s love interest, former space shuttle pilot Bill Oefelein.
An Orlando judge ruled Wednesday that Nowak’s attorneys could depose Shipman for a second time to determine if she was actually touched by pepper spray during the confrontation.
Nowak’s attorneys have a report from emergency technicians that raises questions about whether Shipman was sprayed.
That issue is important because Nowak’s attorneys want one of her criminal charges thrown out if Shipman wasn’t harmed by the pepper spray. Nowak wasn’t in court for Wednesday’s hearing.
