2012 Annual Report - State Bar of Georgia

Grady Team Places 4 th at Nationals
Following five weeks of intense preparation this spring, the mock trial team from Henry W.
Grady High School in Atlanta represented the state of Georgia in the 28 th annual National High School
Mock Trial Championship, held over Mother’s day weekend in Phoenix, Arizona.
The national case this year was a civil problem wherein the plaintiff, the D’Baha Indian Tribe,
claimed that a planned mine expansion by the Intrepid Mining Corporation (the Defendant) was a
breach of contract in that the project would taint the tribe’s sacred water and injure wildlife on the
Tribal Lands. The tribe’s second claim was for nuisance in that the mine’s expansion interfered with
the public health, safety, peace, comfort of convenience of the tribe and impaired the tribe’s
enjoyment of its rights in and to the Tribal Lands. Intrepid denied that the proposed expansion of the
Harrelson Mine was a breach of the sublease or a nuisance. Intrepid claimed it had obtained all
necessary permits and approvals for the expansion and that the tribe waived Intrepid’s strict
compliance with the terms of the sublease. Intrepid also contended that the tribe’s opposition to the
expansion was motivated by its desire to build a water park and resort in place of the Harrelson Mine
and not by its desire to protect its sacred water.
During the preliminary rounds of the national tournament, the Georgia team competed against
New Hampshire and won. They competed against Idaho in the 2nd round and won, then faced
Kentucky in the 3rd round and lost and finally Delaware in the 4th round and won. The Grady team
ultimately ended the tournament weekend with a 3‐1 record – 3 wins, 1 loss, earning 10 winning
ballots out of 12 and 1,131 total points. The team placed 4 th in a field of 48 teams from across the U.S.,
Guam, the Northern Marianas Islands, South Korea and Australia. The teams from Indiana and
Missouri advanced to the championship round and the team from the John Adams High School in
South Bend, Indiana won the 2011 national title.
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The Grady Mock Trial Team represented the GHSMTC very well and had a lot of fun during the
NHSMTC in Phoenix.
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