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Trader Joe's Brawl Trial Begins in Manhattan Supreme Court

By DNAinfo Staff on June 14, 2011 6:37pm

Cathleen London after the smack to her face.
Cathleen London after the smack to her face.
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Manhattan District Attorney's Office

By Shayna Jacobs

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — A fight between a doctor and a opera singer in the frozen food section of the Upper West Side Trader Joe's took center stage in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday.

Singer and English teacher Marcela Caprario, 37, is accused of slapping Weill Cornell Medical Center physician Cathleen London across the side of her face on Jan. 9, causing a scene in the crowded store and swelling on the mother's cheek.

London's 13-year-old son, Noah, took the witness stand Tuesday afternoon to describe how Caprario attacked his mother after he accidentally got in the path of the singer's husband.

"The woman slapped my mother very hard on her right cheek," he said, reiterating the string of profane threats he said Caprario shouted at London.

Opera singer Marcela Caprario performing.
Opera singer Marcela Caprario performing.
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YouTube

He testified his mother was a "perfect citizen" and was merely trying to defuse the situation when things escalated.

The rapid-fire trial also saw Caprario and London take the stand, as well as Caprario's husband, Bill Hobbs, who testified that London started the fight by overreacting when he repeatedly said "excuse me" as he tried to pass her son in the aisle.

"The doctor turned around and said, 'He's just a child.' It was a little arrogant," Hobbs said.

Caprario's attorney Mark Bederow argued the slap was not meant to cause any real harm and asked Manhattan Criminal Court Judge ShawnDya Simpson to dismiss the case.

Caparario is on trial for attempted assault, a reduced charge from what she originally received.

The 2-day trial is expected to conclude with summations on Wednesday. Caprario opted to waive her right to a jury and to let Simpson decide her fate.