Martha Stewart scoffed at her time in the federal pen as she took the stand to defend herself against charges she double-crossed partner Macy’s by secretly signing up with rival JCPenney.
Asked by her lawyer how she spent her time at work, Stewart quipped, “I did my time” — referring to her five-month stint in prison eight years ago for lying about a stock sale.
“That’ll be the headline; read The Post tomorrow,’’ Stewart added, prompting chuckles in the Manhattan courtroom.
At one point, she turned to Justice Jeffrey Oing and claimed she was shocked she had landed in court with Macy’s.
“It’s a contract dispute,” Stewart said. “It just boggles my mind that we’re sitting here, Judge.”
But the 71-year-old domestic diva, dressed in a miniskirt and vest that matched her chocolate-colored ankle boots, turned snippy when Macy’s lawyer Ted Grossman broached the subject of her infamous prison stretch.
Asked whether she was released from prison in March 2005, Stewart grumbled, “I guess so.”
When Grossman claimed that Stewart knew her insider-trading debacle had crippled her brand — thus leading her to turn to Macy’s to revive it — she indignantly shot back:
“My brand was as strong the day I emerged from Alderson [prison] as it was the day I entered.”
Trying to turn the tables, Stewart blamed Macy’s for not doing enough to sell her home goods, which do $300 million in yearly sales.
Lawyers for Macy’s noted that at the retailer’s board meeting on Oct. 20, 2009, Stewart gave prepared remarks saying she was “thrilled to be the No. 1 brand in the Home Store” at Macy’s.
Stewart testified yesterday that she was simply sugar-coating the truth so as not to ruffle any feathers.
“When you appear before the board of a company you do business with, you try to be extremely enthusiastic,” Stewart said.
She also claimed to have been surprised when Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren hung up on her during their last chat in December 2011.
Stewart had called to tell him that she’d just inked a $200 million deal with Penney to have them peddle her home goods, despite the exclusive contract she had with Macy’s.
“I was quite taken aback by his response, and when he hung up on me I was flabbergasted,” Stewart said.