WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether a juror’s comments during trial deliberations can be used to show dishonesty during the jury selection process.
The justices said Monday they will hear an appeal from a South Dakota man seriously injured in a motorcycle accident with a truck. He sued for negligence, but a jury returned a verdict for the truck owner.
Click here to read more. My opinion is that the Integrity of the Jury System requires the Supreme Court grant a new Trial under these circumstances. If a juror admits during deliberations that his/her verdict was based on the fact that a similar occurrence to a family member ( in this case her daughter ) would have ruined her daughter’s life( if the Jury finds for the Plaintiff ) shows a clear bias against the Plaintiff. There is no way this Juror could have truthfully stated during jury selection that she can be a fair and impartial juror in this case. Even though the remaining Jurors found a verdict in favor of the Truck driver and may not have been influenced by the offending Juror’s misconduct Justice demands the Supreme Court overturn the Verdict and grant a new Trial. The right to trial by Jury granted under the seventh amendment of the U.S.Constitution is too important to condone this juror’s misconduct. In this case the Civil Justice System must set the example for prospective jurors and litigants and preserve the Integrity of the jury system. What do you think?
