The newspaper reports that during the lawsuit by the City of Seattle against the Sonic's basketball organization the following question was asked on cross examination by the lawyer for the city:

     Q.     You understood the risk that you would  be sitting here today without a new building, without a
renegotiated lease, with a lease that obligates you to perform  through the 2009-2020 season, a lease under which there over $20 million a year operating losses at the time you signed this assumption document, correct sir?

How much better the question would be if it were broken down into short simple statements. It gives the witness less opportunity to be evasive and it exposes any attempts to be less than candid. Try this same question broken down as follows: