BANKING/FINANCE : Judges Takes High-Tech Approach to Trial of Lincoln Savings Lawsuits

U.S. District Judge Richard M. Bilby must have the techno-bug.

The Tucson judge, who is presiding over the complex civil lawsuits stemming from the 1989 collapse of Lincoln Savings & Loan, already has a courtroom wired with computers to give the multitude of lawyers instant access to transcripts--as witnesses testify--and space on each computer’s hard disk to load whatever programs each party wants.

Now the judge has taken another step in preparing the courtroom for trial, which is scheduled to start late next month.

In an order Monday, Bilby told a computer firm to set up a computer-driven video projection system so that lawyers will be able to show jurors what some witnesses have said during pretrial depositions that were videotaped.

“A substantial number of witnesses will be presented through videotaped depositions,” said Ronald Rus of Orange, a lawyer for the thousands of small investors who lost more than $250 million after the collapse of Lincoln and its parent company, American Continental Corp.

Bilby also came up with a way to boost the court’s existing technological capabilities. He ordered that each party pay a proportionate share of the cost for the $250,000 video system. At the end of trial, the court will keep the new equipment unless one party wants to buy it.