By Alabama Public Radio
Birmingham, AL – A key witness for Richard Scrushy's defense took the stand Wednesday at the trial of the former HealthSouth CEO. Jim Goodreau testified that a finance chief took over the company in the final years of a huge earnings overstatement and hid the scheme from Scrushy. Goodreau once headed security at HealthSouth. He also served as Scrushy's bodyguard. Goodreau says former CFO Bill Owens appeared to be running the company by 2001, when Scrushy moved to Florida for about seven months. Goodreau also testified that Owens told him that the HealthSouth founder was unaware of what was going on with the numbers. He also says he never told Scrushy about Owens' comments. The defense claims Owens and 14 other former HealthSouth executives who pleaded guilty in the accounting scheme ran the conspiracy and hid their actions from Scrushy.