Paloma Valley Students to Compete in Mock Trial Event

A team of students from Paloma Valley High School will participate in a month-long legal competition against teams from throughout the region.

The students are taking part in the 32nd annual Riverside County Mock Trial. They will argue for the prosecution against a defense team from Temecula Valley High School in round 1, which begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

In the mock trial, students will argue cases in front of real judges and will be scored by real attorneys. The competition is open to students in grades 9-12 enrolled in public and private high schools in Riverside County. Teams consist of 8-25 students who will play the roles of attorneys, witnesses, clerks and more.

Students will argue the fictional case entitled "People vs. Shem." In the trial, Master's fine arts student Evan Shem faces one felony count, theft by larceny, for the theft of "Treason", a painting by Fletcher Yazoo.

The competition runs through the final round on March 7. The winning county team will represent Riverside County at the California Mock Trial competition March 20-22 in Riverside.