Lotta Hart

"Lotta Hart"

- Hey! You! Hold on, now! This gal's got a few questions to ask!

Lotta Hart is a fiery-tempered photographer who appears as a witness in several of Phoenix Wright's cases. Much of the photographic evidence in said cases comes from her.

Early life
According to her, Hart was born and raised in the "Heart of the Heartland". She was originally at college, but after believing to have taken a picture of a "yoofo" (U.F.O.) in a friend's wedding photograph, she left college to become a "paranormal photographer".

First encounter with Wright

 * Main article: Turnabout Goodbyes

Phoenix Wright's first encounter with the fiery red-head was during the murder trial of Miles Edgeworth. She had heard about Gourdy and planned to capture a photograph of the beast. Going by an article in the local newspaper, Hart set up a camera on the shore of Gourd Lake that was set to respond to loud noises. She then pretended to be a college student taking photographs of meteor showers so as to throw off any "shutterbugs" that might try to steal her scoop.

Wright and Maya Fey came across the camera and Fey (in her typical do-without-thinking way) set off a party popper to activate the device. Hart soon arrived on the scene, absolutely furious that Fey had wasted precious film. However, after conversing with the two of them, she believed she may have observed the murder the previous night and also that her camera had been triggered twice that night. Hart told Wright about a photo she had taken of the lake showing the murder, and that she was going to make an enlarged version. She then went to the police station to act as a witness, and in doing so replaced the original witness the police were going to use.

In court, Hart showed her photos to prosecutor Manfred von Karma. Von Karma had Hart rehearse a vague account of the murder, and told her not to reveal the enlarged photo. Wright took the defense's bench and could not break through Hart's testimony at first, but after an outburst by Fey, Hart let slip that she had not seen Edgeworth clearly. Wright eventually revealed Hart's real reason for being on the lake that night along with the fact that she hadn't actually witnessed the murder; she had just convinced herself she had. Wright also got Hart to show the enlarged photo, which presented enough doubt to extend the trial to another day.

Hart later apologized to Wright for her actions in court as she had gotten caught up in the moment. She promised to make it up to him with information. However, in return she wanted evidence either proving or disproving the existence of Gourdy. Wright eventually proved that "Gourdy" was in fact a stray Steel Samurai balloon. Disheartened, Hart revealed that the original witness was the boat shop owner and gave Wright a copy of the other photo taken that night. Although this photograph was only of the empty lake, it was the timestamp on it that revealed that Robert Hammond had been murdered before Edgeworth had arrived on the scene.

After Edgeworth was found innocent, Hart took a picture of the triumphant group and was shocked to find a ghost was in the picture. This ghost was Wright's deceased mentor: Mia Fey.

Second Encounter

 * Main article: Reunion, and Turnabout

"Phoenix Wright"

- Lotta! At a time like this!?

"Lotta Hart"

- Times like this are perfect for snapping up shots!

The next time Wright encountered Hart was a year later in Kurain Village. She was a self-styled "paranormal photographer" and was in search of another big scoop. She was present outside the Channeling Chamber when Turner Grey was shot and dashed into the room with Wright to find what appeared to be a possessed Maya Fey covered in blood, with the dead body of Grey lying in his own blood. Hart quickly snapped a couple of photographs (despite protests from Wright) before being herded from the room by Morgan Fey.

Hart testified during Fey's trial for Grey's murder, with her temper clashing with that of prosecutor Franziska von Karma. Although Wright tried to find a contradiction in her testimony, he was forced to admit that, in her position, he would say the same. The first photograph was submitted as evidence and appeared to show Maya standing over Grey's corpse with a pistol in her hand.

With a little prodding from Mia Fey, Wright remembered that Hart had taken two photographs and that, like her father, Franziska had tried to conceal the presence of a second photograph by ordering Hart not to reveal it. Her plan failed and the second photograph was shown to the court.

Later on, Hart regretted helping out the prosecution and tried to avoid Wright. Nonetheless, Wright found her inside a box inside the Side Room. The box would turn out to have been used in the murder plot.

Hart's experience of the murder made her decide to change her job from "paranormal photographer" to "tabloid photographer".

Third Encounter

 * Main article: Farewell, My Turnabout

Lotta Hart appeared at the Gatewater Imperial Hotel during the Hero of Heroes Grand Prix in order to get a tabloid scoop on the scandal between Adrian Andrews and Juan Corrida. She wrote a note saying that Matt Engarde had made Adrian Andrews get close to Juan Corrida keep an eye on him (as they were rivals). Wendy Oldbag, a security guard at the hotel, stole Hart's camera, and used it to take a picture of the Nickel Samurai (really Adrian Andrews) leaving the crime scene. Corrida was murdered shortly after the Grand Prix, and the photos on Hart's camera were initially used as evidence against Engarde. Wright took Engarde's case but eventually found out that he really had done the deed.

Hart congratulated Wright after the trial. She also bought a $1600 camera and put Wright's name on the bill.

Whereabouts

 * Main article: Turnabout Ablaze

Hart was spotted by Miles Edgeworth and Kay Faraday during a Steel Samurai show at an embassy. Edgeworth vaguely remembered her but avoided interacting with her due to a feeling that talking to her would be very unpleasant for him. Furthermore, it is hinted that she is the person who took a picture of the Yatagarasu flying outside the embassy.

Personality
"Lotta Hart"

- I-I didn't mean anything bad! I know I can be a little mean, but I ain't evil!

"Phoenix Wright"

- (Well, at least she knows herself...)

Hart is fierce but well-meaning. She defends her secrets ferociously, but she is always willing to help Wright, just not for free. Hart is often single-minded in the pursuit of her goals and gets aggravated if she thinks people are mocking her or her homeland. Although she was a paranormal photographer at one point, she is "really bad when it comes to blood and ghosts and stuff". Hart also has a habit of changing her job each time Wright sees her.

She has a strong southern accent.

Name

 * Her name is a pun on "a lot of heart", which refers to her well-meaning nature.


 * There have been a few times in which her name has been used for a play on words. Wright once stated that she was in a whole "Lotta" trouble, as Lotta often hides information from him and when he encounters her after a year, one of the options for remembering what her name is "Lotta Hair" in reference to her afro.