October 10, 2003
KMBC-TV

Stewart To Go To Trial Next Year In Stock-Trading Scandal

Martha Stewart talked briefly to the media about her legal troubles and her fans at a furniture store Friday.

Stewart was in town to show off her furniture line at the Nebraska Furniture Mart, KMBC's Jeremy Hubbard reported. Hundreds of people lined up outside the door to catch a glimpse of her.

Hubbard said that when it came to her legal problems, Stewart did not say much. She was more interested in talking about couches than court cases. But she did say that she is thankful for her fans.

Stewart faces trial next year on charges of securities fraud and obstruction of justice.

"We've gotten hundreds and thousands of great letters from everybody offering support and good words," Stewart said.

Stewart is part of a stock-trading scandal that has made headlines for months. Just days ago, her lawyers asked a judge to dismiss some of those charges.

As far as business goes, Stewart's domestic empire has suffered severely from the scandal, although you would not know it from the crowd that turned out to see her. Stewart said that it is because of her fans that she has been able to weather the storm.

"Thank you so much for your support. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for seeing me through this extremely difficult time, and I appreciate it greatly," Stewart told the crowd.

Even as Stewart was speaking, there was more bad news coming out of her business. Her magazine, Martha Stewart Living, announced it is cutting circulation by 22 percent. Her company's profits dropped some 86 percent in August.