There is a rare condition called misophonia that can result in this exact behaviour from simply listening to someone eat popcorn!! It is a neurological disorder that a small handful of people suffer from, including myself. What may seem to some a ridiculous irritation, listening to other people eat, chew gum or a variety of other everday sounds can cause severe anxiety and tempers to escalate into an uncontrolable rage in seconds in other people. Whomever represented the lawyer in this case might want to research misophonia and look into an appeal.