The former general counsel of Intermune Inc. isn’t on trial. But he wound up figuring large in a rare health care fraud prosecution that Northern District of California Judge Marilyn Hall Patel has sent to the jury.

During closing arguments Wednesday, both sides used evidence from former GC Steven Rosenfeld to debate whether former CEO W. Scott Harkonen crafted a deceptive press release designed to boost sales of a controversial, but ineffective, drug.