Hologram USA CEO blasts judge for citing his facial expressions

LOS ANGELES -- If Alki David is not allowed to argue in his own defense in an ongoing sexual harassment trial then no one will, the billionaire said Monday.

Barred from representing himself following repeated and abusive conduct in particular directed toward plaintiff Mahim Khan last week, David asked Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michelle Williams Court to restore his pro per status before trial resumed. Believing attorneys would be too "hand-tied" to mount a suitable defense, David said he needed to argue from the lectern to combat the "lies" of Khan's counsel at Allred, Maroko & Goldberg LLP.

Court said she would reconsider the order barring David from self-representation, based on the course of the day's proceedings. With that in mind, the Hologram USA CEO appeared to do his best to keep his conduct in check. He remained mostly quiet throughout most of the morning testimony offered by Khan, the fourth former employee to bring sexual harassment claims against David to trial this year.

But David's comparatively tame demeanor began to slip as the lunch hour neared as he began loudly muttering under his breath or laughed at points in Khan's testimony. Calling a break, Court offered a light reprimand of David for his conduct. She said she'd observed several inappropriate gestures and facial expressions from David over the course of the morning. Before she could finish, David -- wearing a denim jacket and jeans and black socks with slippers -- responded with a combustion.

"My facial expressions? You're ridiculous," David said, having moved to storm out of the courtroom before turning to gesture toward Court. "They commit a criminal act that is punishable by prison, and you're telling me my facial expressions are an issue. Get out of here."

Ignoring Court's repeated requests to stay, David once again burst out of the courtroom and began shouting in the halls, pursued by the court clerk and the bailiff.

When the clerk returned, she offered comments for the record on what had occurred, as she had last week during a similar outburst.

"It was the norm. Shouting 'This is ridiculous,'" the clerk said, noting two jurors were still on the floor when David began shouting in the corridor.

While David tried to reenter the court to once again address Court, the clerk said she barred him from entry and instructed him to return after the lunch break.

Though David didn't return later in the day, the plaintiff's counsel, Nathan Goldberg, expressed frustration with the futility of allowing his return, saying it was unlikely David would in any way honor the court's orders and requests.

But the judge said the most concerning disruptions caused by David occur in the courthouse halls, where he could potentially impact the impartiality of a jury, not in the courtroom itself. She said she can't bar him from the courthouse.

Trial continues Tuesday.