Judge bars mention of Larry Nassar during trial of former Durham gymnastics coach

A judge has prohibited mention of convicted sexual predator and former gymnastics coach Larry Nassar during the upcoming trial of a former Durham gymnastics coach accused of sex crimes against minors.

Stephen Maness appeared in court Monday for the start of his criminal trial on four counts of indecent liberties with a minor and four counts of sexual battery.

Maness was a longtime coach and owner of Bull City Gymnastics, where the assaults are alleged to have happened between 2013 and 2020. He was initially charged in February 2021.

The defense argued that discussion of Nassar, a disgraced physician who was convicted of sexually assaulting dozens of gymnasts while working for Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, would produce bias in the jury.

“It’s so unbelievably prejudiced that we would be bringing this boogeyman into court,” said Melissa Owen, Maness’s defense attorney.

Assistant District Attorney Brooks Stone disagreed and argued that statements made by Maness about the Nassar scandal showed his attitude toward gymnasts speaking up about abuse and should therefore be included.

“I think it’s inherently relevant to the case,” Stone said.

Judge Josephine Davis disagreed.

“You didn’t have to explain who Larry Nassar or Aly Raisman was because I already knew who they are,” Davis said. “The jurors will know who Larry Nassar is. The jurors will know who Aly Raisman is.”

She said mentioning Nassar or one of his accusers, the Olympic gymnast Raisman, would prejudice the jury against Maness.

On Monday, the Associated Press reported that Nassar was stabbed multiple times in federal prison in Florida.

Although the judge barred testimony about Nassar at trial, general, broad discussion of him was permitted during jury selection.

Stone asked potential jurors if they were familiar with the Nassar case. Most said yes and stated they had heard previous media coverage about the scandal. None said they closely followed his criminal trial.

Stone also asked if any prospective jurors’ feelings about Nassar or his victims would affect their ability to be fair and impartial in this case.

The defense did not raise an objection to discussion of Nassar during jury selection.

Testimony about marriage, Lady Gaga song prohibited

In addition to barring discussion of Nassar during the trial, Davis also ruled out hearsay and speculation about Maness’s marriage.

When the charges were brought against Maness, he and his wife, Amanda Maness, co-owned and coached at Bull City Gymnastics. Owen said their “marriage has fallen apart.”

Owen further asked that mention of a Lady Gaga song being removed from one of the gym’s playlists be kept from the jury.

She said Maness had removed the song from the playlist, but feared witnesses would testify Maness did so for homophobic reasons. She denied that Maness holds any homophobic views, but worried perception of his beliefs could turn the jury against him.

Once again, Davis agreed and the prosecution did not object.

Jury selection continued Monday afternoon, with the trial expected to last up to two weeks, according to the defense and prosecution.