Kind of a s/o, have you ever been on a jury? [Archive] - Baby Bargains & Baby 411 Community

Meatball Mommie

07-05-2011, 04:26 PM

I served about a year and a half ago on a civil case here in MA. It was my first time being called and I was picked - lucky me! It was an asbestos/mesothethioma case and, although we all felt badly for the veteran who had meso, we couldn't find in his favor. Luckily the case started out with him suing about 20 different companies and all but 2 settled by the time we got to deliver a verdict, so he did receive some compensation - just not from the final 2 companies.

The trial lasted 3 weeks and the commute/hours were rough for me. I also had to go in to my office at night/weekends to make sure I wasn't getting too far behind - fun times!

All in all, I'm glad I had the opportunity though.

eta: the lawyers for the plaintiff, in particular one member of the team, were HORRIBLE and that was the worst part, honestly. The defendant's lawyers (many different firms) were excellent and it was interesting to hear them.

wellyes

07-05-2011, 04:33 PM

I was on a jury for a trial about an ex- husband accused of violating a restraining order. Fun stuff. We ended up finding him not guilty. The trial was awful , the defense attorney kept revealing stuff he wasn't supposed to, and everyone cried on the stand, and some of the jurors seemed rather dim to me.

I don't know if the guy was guilty or not, but he definitely might've been not, and the prosecutor didn't convince beyond a reasonable doubt.

I know 2 other people who've been on juries - both for DUI - both went with not guilty. For dumb reasons, too. one told me the jurors jet felt sorry for the guy who made a mistake. Makes me wonder what % of trials end up being successfully prosecuted.

ellies mom

07-05-2011, 05:05 PM

I was on a federal jury for a civil case involving an injury after a car accident. It was federal because the parties involved a non-citizen and a county. If you are going to be on a jury, I highly recommend federal because the money is so much better.

So, the injured was a passenger in a car where everyone in the car had been drinking and possibly smoking pot. They were driving on a levee road that did not have guard rails along the whole thing and the road made a slight turn but the driver had taken his eyes off the road for a split second and missed the turn. He drove off the road and the car kind of side-swiped a walnut tree. It was total dumb luck. Everyone walked away with no injuries except the front seat passenger who was paralyzed from the neck down.If that car had hit the tree a few inches in either direction, he probably would have walked away too. He was in the US legally but only had a 6th grade education and he was in his early 20s at the time of the accident. The driver had no money so the passenger was suing the county saying that the road was unsafe.

It was actually really interesting. There were some excellent witnesses, including the cutest elderly marijuana expert. There were some witnesses that just boggled the mind. In one case, what he was saying was required to have a safe road was nice but completely unrealistic. The other was trying to show that the county had more money than they let on but his reasoning showed that he clearly thought we were stupid. We got to see this video that was made to demonstrate the road conditions at the time of the accident.

It was also interesting to hear how the attorney was trying to build his case. For example, the county was saving money to fix an area of road that flooded almost every time it rained. The road led to a freeway interchange and the dump. The lawyer constantly referred to it as "the road to the dump" to try to downplay the legitimate need to fix it.

What did I get out of it? Well, I was 21 at the time, about the same age as the guy when he got hurt. So, it really brought home how lucky we are every day, how easy it is for really bad stuff to happen in the blink of an eye. It also hit home how incredibly blessed I am to be in the circumstances I'm in. The guy was an uneducated worker at a rice processing plant. He had no resources. His sister and BIL took care of him but they don't have the resources to do anything else. He has no real future, he is just living. If I was in an accident like that, it would be tragic. But I've got the resources to go back to school and do something else. I would still have a future. I would still be able to get out and live. He can't. And that is really a shame.

ETA- It ended up being nine days. If the county had been at fault, then it would have gone on longer to determine the amount.

ilfaith

07-05-2011, 05:09 PM

I served once on a jury, in NYC. It was a criminal case (defendant arrested in a "buy-and-bust" drug sting). After three days of testimony and a day's deliberation, we ended in a hung jury. I believe there were 7 guilty votes and 5 not guilty. I voted not guilty. In my heart I suspect the defendant was, in fact, guilty of the crime, but the evidence and the prosecution's case just was not strong enough to convict.

One of my fellow jurors was an actor on the soap Guiding Light.

secchick

07-05-2011, 05:17 PM

I was on a jury for a case involving a father accused of sexually molesting his daughter. It was a horrible thing to have to sit through. It was about 4 days of testimony, and we deliberated longer than did the Casey Anthony jury. I find it upsetting to think about after all these years and the prosecutor in the case attends church and sends his children to the same school we do and my heart skips a beat every time I see him. I do not envy his job. We convicted and sentenced to 17 years. It was shocking to me how in the penalty phase, after we found him guilty, some jurors wanted to give the father 5 years probation and no jail time. And this was with videotaped interview footage in which the father said some pretty creepy things that matched up with what his daughter testified to. I and two men on the jury who both actually worked nearby to where I was working did the hard slog of talking them up to jail time at all and all the way up to 17 years. I still think about how horrid the defense attorney was to the victim on the stand.

g-mama

07-05-2011, 05:18 PM

I served on a jury in a domestic violence case in MD. It lasted three days and I found it extremely interesting.

I felt the guy was guilty of abusing his wife (ex-wife? It was about 15 years ago), as did many of the other jurors, but we were not able to say there was no reasonable doubt. We had to find him not guilty.

What I found out afterward, though, sickened me. It turned out that there were going to be something like ten more trials for the very same acts of violence against this woman, but the husband was able to have each and every incident tried in a separate trial so that the evidence from each one could not pile up and be used against him. So each case was looked at individually as if it were a one-time thing, rather than a pattern of life-threatening physical abuse. We saw the husband, laughing and looking extremely smug afterwards as he looked at us as we were leaving the courthouse.

AnnieW625

07-05-2011, 05:28 PM

Yes I have, thanks for posting. I was thinking of doing the same thing myself. I sat on jury almost 4 yrs. ago and it was a case where the plantiff had been taking RX pain killers but was also working two jobs. He was driving home from one of those jobs that ended in the AM and a witness saw him swerve and supposedly hit a gaurd rail. She called the cops on him, and the cops arrested him once they had followed him home. We ended up in a hung jury. There was no evidence that his van actually hit the gaurd rail. The lady who reported this case to the cops wasn't a credible witness. She was wishy washy as was the DA who was prosecuting the case. I was one of the ones who sided with the plantiff.

I had to sit through three days of jury selection on a case regarding a long shoreman injury but got thrown out on the third day because because I knew too much about workers compensation.

Unfortunately pay doesn't matter because my employer gets it no matter what. I expect to get my every 24 mos. summons here in the next couple of months.

Gena

07-05-2011, 05:37 PM

I was called for jury duty right after I returned to work from maternity leave. (The boss was NOT happy.) I was very interested in serving and seeing what a trial was like. But the experience turned out to be pretty depressing.

It was a criminal case where a man was accused of misdemeanor unlawful entry into his neighbors' house to peep at the teenage daughter who was home alone and in the shower. We (the jury) had a very hard time with the case. We all questioned the validity of the guy's alibi, but the presecutor didn't have enough evidence to discredit it. We ended up asking the judge for clarification of "beyond a reasonable doubt". In the end we all felt that the guy probably did it, but we had to find him not guilty because of the questionable alibi and reasonable doubt.

The prosecutor met with us after the trial. He wanted to know our thoughts on the case and the reason for our ruling. In particular he was interested in knowing how we reacted to the testimony of the teenage girl. The prosecutor admitted that case had been handed off to him on short notice and he hadn't had much time to prepare. His office had thought that the case would be cut and dry and did not know about the alibi beforehand, which is why he present anything to disprove it. He also told us that there were felony charges pending against this defendant for a more serious confrontation with the same victim. We were all angry that this information hadn't been available to us, but apparently that's the way the system works.

I never found out what happened with the felony charges or if that case went to trial. As I said, it was a pretty depressing situation. it really changed my understanding of the justice system.

geochick

07-05-2011, 05:53 PM

I have been on a jury. It was the most fascinating 3 days of my life (probably an exaggeration, but it was close).

I was stunned at the stupidity of some of the people also serving on the jury. If I ever have to go to trial, I hope it's not a jury trial; I want the judge to decide. Seriously.

jenfromnj

07-05-2011, 05:58 PM

geochick

07-05-2011, 06:02 PM

I've been called twice, but wasn't selected either time--no one wants a lawyer on their jury (at least around here!), even one who specifically chose a practice area that pretty much guaranteed never having to go to court.

Funny. My dh is an expert witness. Before I was chosen for the jury, the judge asked if any of us knew any expert witnesses since this trial had a lot of them coming to testify. Even that didn't get me booted. The judge asked if it would make me partial to one side or the other. I should have said it would. ;)

boolady

07-05-2011, 06:03 PM

I've been called twice, but wasn't selected either time--no one wants a lawyer on their jury (at least around here!), even one who specifically chose a practice area that pretty much guaranteed never having to go to court.

I was called in the fall, but was immediately excused by the judge for this reason. I would have loved to do it, though, just to see what the jury dynamic is like.

jenfromnj

07-05-2011, 06:07 PM

I was called in the fall, but was immediately excused by the judge for this reason. I would have loved to do it, though, just to see what the jury dynamic is like.

I know--I actually wanted to serve (I think the whole voir dire process is fascinating, in my own dorky way!) but I was quickly dismissed.

ast96

07-05-2011, 06:25 PM

kmkaull

07-05-2011, 06:41 PM

I was on the jury for an assault case a few years ago. It was a 4 day trial and we deliberated for 8 hours before finding the defendant guilty.

I found the process pretty interesting. It was so hard NOT to talk to the other jurors until we sat down to deliberate.

When the verdict was read, the family and defendant were very emotional. It was hard to see. After, the judge met with us to thank us for our time and told us that we made the right decision.

I truly can't imagine being sequestered for any length of time.

ilfaith

07-05-2011, 06:45 PM

I've been called twice, but wasn't selected either time--no one wants a lawyer on their jury (at least around here!), even one who specifically chose a practice area that pretty much guaranteed never having to go to court.

In addition to the soap opera actor (who played a cop on the show) my jury had a lawyer and a paralegal. I was actually a little surprised that every juror (with the exception of one alternate) was college educated (a doctor, an architect, a college professor, etc.).

It is interesting how many of us who have served on juries have admitted that it was difficult to prove guilt "beyond reasonable doubt"...it's the reason I was not entirely surprised by the Casey Anthony verdict.

boolady

07-05-2011, 06:55 PM

I would love to sit on a jury, but I never have and probably never will. My father, brother, BIL, SIL, and husband are all attorneys. My husband was a prosecutor (Asst District Atty). I am pretty sure nobody would want me on a jury.

You never know...maybe a civil case. I've been a prosecutor for 8.5 years, and several of my colleagues have had their parents or siblings on civil juries.

almostamom

07-05-2011, 08:16 PM

I wasn't called to serve on the jury, but was one of 40 or so that were being questioned to see if we would be chosen. When they asked if any of us knew anyone involved in the case, one of the other women said that the defendant was her former student. I can't even imagine. I don't know if I'd be furious or just cry.

Linda

secchick

07-05-2011, 08:33 PM

I know--I actually wanted to serve (I think the whole voir dire process is fascinating, in my own dorky way!) but I was quickly dismissed.

I am an attorney as well and was shocked to not get booted, but I did corporate transactional work at Biglaw and there were a ton of people getting dismissed because of personal histories with sexual abuse. The prosecutor (the one I see at the kid's school) called me after the trial to break down jury deliberations for him. The accountant, engineer and I were leading the charge, and honestly, the rest acquiesced because they didn't want to argue with us anymore.

MaiseyDog

07-05-2011, 08:42 PM

Funny. My dh is an expert witness. Before I was chosen for the jury, the judge asked if any of us knew any expert witnesses since this trial had a lot of them coming to testify. Even that didn't get me booted. The judge asked if it would make me partial to one side or the other. I should have said it would. ;)

I think it's surprising sometimes who gets selected. I got picked to be on the jury for a case where a truck driver was suing wal-mart for a possible injury that occurred on a loading dock. I got picked despite having done my residency in the pain clinic he was being treated at. Also picked was a physical therapist and an occupational therapist. The driver claimed that he was no longer able to work because of the medications he had to take to control his pain when he drove a semi. By the time we all got to discuss, I wanted to change his medication regimen, the PT disproved his symptoms and the OT could come up with 4-5 jobs he could do. Needless to say we didn't award any money.

bubbaray

07-05-2011, 09:05 PM

Lawyers are barred by statute from serving on juries here. Perhaps that is the one and only benefit of going to law school....

HIU8

07-05-2011, 09:21 PM

I was on a jury once. It was a robery and breaking and entering. I've been called before but only served once.

TwinFoxes

07-05-2011, 09:24 PM

Lawyers are barred by statute from serving on juries here. Perhaps that is the one and only benefit of going to law school....

Interesting! In Virginia they are as well, but in most states they're not. I think the pols who are attorneys love showing up for jury duty. I remember when Antonio Villaraigosa served in LA. And Janet Reno got called but didn't get picked I think.

TxCat

07-05-2011, 09:38 PM

I think it's surprising sometimes who gets selected. I got picked to be on the jury for a case where a truck driver was suing wal-mart for a possible injury that occurred on a loading dock. I got picked despite having done my residency in the pain clinic he was being treated at. Also picked was a physical therapist and an occupational therapist. The driver claimed that he was no longer able to work because of the medications he had to take to control his pain when he drove a semi. By the time we all got to discuss, I wanted to change his medication regimen, the PT disproved his symptoms and the OT could come up with 4-5 jobs he could do. Needless to say we didn't award any money.

:rotflmao:

TxCat

07-05-2011, 09:44 PM

I would LOVE to serve on a jury, but I've only even been summoned twice in the 16 years that I've been a vote-registered adult - once was for California when I was going to grad school full-time in Texas, so that wasn't happening, and the second time was this winter while I was on maternity leave. Hopefully the third time will be "the charm".

SnuggleBuggles

07-05-2011, 09:55 PM

Yep, most boring thing ever. Civil case, only 1.5 days of testimony and 3 hours of deliberation. People are very interesting and random is what I learned from the experience.

Beth

TwinFoxes

07-05-2011, 09:57 PM

I think it's surprising sometimes who gets selected. I got picked to be on the jury for a case where a truck driver was suing wal-mart for a possible injury that occurred on a loading dock. I got picked despite having done my residency in the pain clinic he was being treated at.

When Winona Ryder was on trial the head of the studio that produced several of her movies was on the jury that convicted her. I remember because he had been quoted as saying there was no way he'd get picked. I guess he really was able to listen to the facts and not think "she made us millions!"

daisymommy

07-05-2011, 10:02 PM

I was on a murder jury trial! :eek:
It lasted 2 weeks. Thank-goodness I didn't have kids during that time. Work was ticked off, but what could they do?!
I was so scared to leave the day it was all over, for fear of retaliation by the accused's family.
I never want to have to sit on a jury for something big again!

jent

07-05-2011, 10:15 PM

I've been served once when I lived in NY state, on a drunk driving case. It took 2 days, and was nice because I was doing my residency back then, so I got a 2-day break from work ;). Basically, it was a guy who got caught at a checkpoint over the holidays and failed the breathalyzer. His lawyer tried to insinuate many things: that maybe the machine wasn't working properly, or that the person operating the machine was new at the job and perhaps wasn't doing it right. But as the case went on it became pretty clear that essentially this guy got stopped and was trying to fight his ticket, so the lawyer was trying to instill that "reasonable doubt" in us. At least it was a case where no one really got hurt, so it was interesting to see how the system worked.

I've also been called 2 other times but wasn't needed and got sent home at the end of the day. Both times got the speech about how it was important that we were there so that each side knew that we were ready to go to trial if needed.

rlu

07-06-2011, 02:24 AM

I served on a jury for an undercover drug buy. It was interesting how many potential jurors thought the use of undercover cops is illegal/unjust. During the officer's testimony the defense suddenly jumped up, we were quickly escorted out the room and then brought back to be told the defendant plea-bargained. Seemed the defense didn't realize the officer could identify the defendant's facial tear tattoos.

I was one of 100s (1000s?) pulled for the "pink poodle murder" trial, but my company wouldn't pay me for the extended time off so the judge excused many of us for hardship.
http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/10.23.97/pink-murder-9743.html

FIL was a Deputy Sheriff at one point and was never picked for a jury but they wouldn't give him a permanent exemption. DH never gets picked for criminal either given his dad's line of work, but DH did serve on a civil jury.

MoJo

07-06-2011, 05:58 AM

Yes, a one-day deal for a guy who we convicted of reckless driving but not of attempting to injure a police officer. I felt I was personally instrumental in achieving what I still believe was the right outcome.

It was interesting and a good experience, but I'm really scared to get called again because there isn't anyone who can watch my girls right now, and I couldn't afford to go sit for selection, much less serve on the jury.

AngelaS

07-06-2011, 06:17 AM

I was called for jury duty for a first degree murder trial. While I'm all about doing my civic duty, I didn't want to sit on a murder trial! All day long, I prayed, "Please God, get me out of here and please help me think before I answer any questions!" LOL

When the DA asked me, "What did you think when you heard the charges against my client?" I blurted "Things like this sure didn't happen back home!" :P

Yep, I got to go home. Apparently they don't want small town Iowa girls on gang related murder trials in the city. :D

klwa

07-06-2011, 06:39 AM

Nope. Been called twice. Once I was in college in a different county, so I was allowed to not serve. The other time, I was sent notice form a county other than the one I lived in. Still don't understand how that happened, since they had to have my address & it clearly showed I didn't live in the county trying to call me.... But, needless to say, I didn't have to serve on that one either.

LKMang

07-06-2011, 06:45 AM

I did serve on a jury about 3 years ago, when i was pregnant with DS. It was such a cool experience. I was a big CourtTV/Law & Order junkie, so I really enjoyed seeing everything first hand. It was a civil case awarding damages from a car accident for injuries. We ended up giving money (about $10K) to the accuser, but later the judge (who was really awesome) came back to talk to us and said he would have awarded her $70K. So then we all felt badly that we didn't give more, but we honestly had no clue what a reasonable amount would be!

In regards to the Casey Anthony trial, I am also shocked that they came to that decision in 10 hours. Our case was fairly simple with 1.5 days of witnesses and we deliberated about 6 hours!

jenfromnj

07-06-2011, 07:56 AM

I am an attorney as well and was shocked to not get booted, but I did corporate transactional work at Biglaw and there were a ton of people getting dismissed because of personal histories with sexual abuse. The prosecutor (the one I see at the kid's school) called me after the trial to break down jury deliberations for him. The accountant, engineer and I were leading the charge, and honestly, the rest acquiesced because they didn't want to argue with us anymore.

Wow, I think you're the only lawyer I "know" who's been chosen for a jury! I also did Biglaw transactional work (though on the real estate/CMBS side, so very far from trial work) but just being a lawyer was enough to get booted both times--even when I was a first year associate and knew nothing, LOL.

I have heard from my DH and our DA/litigator friends that what you described is a big reason why lawyers are typically never selected--fear of being able to unduly influence (whether intentionally or unintentionally) the rest of the jurors. Sounds like that's a valid concern given what happened in the trial you participated in.

lowrioh

07-06-2011, 09:34 AM

I was on a jury in a civil case and it's one of the reasons I have such a hard time with jury trials. The case had to do with a leaking home heating oil tank and who was responsible for it. The plaintiff claimed that it was the oil companies responsibility to let her know that the tank could leak. The defense claimed that the tank had been painted and that the tank had corroded from the inside and there was no way that they could have determined the tank was degrading by looking at it. There was some scientific evidence for the defense and I'm not exactly sure what the plaintiffs attorney was thinking when he allowed a PhD chemist to get on the jury.
It was a one day trial and it was around 3 by the time we went into deliberations. I was the only juror who did not think that the plaintiffs case was valid. The rest of the jurors were swayed by the sweet old lady plaintiff and let their emotions effect their decision making. I made my decision purely on the evidence and I would not budge and said that there was no way I would change my mind. Over the next 2 hours I argued my case and eventually turned the jury. Some of the jurors changed there mind basically because it was getting late and they didn't want to have to come back the next day. Had someone else been chosen the case would have gone the other way. I think that a lot of people do not have an ability to think analytically and rely on there emotions when determining guilt.

bubbaray

07-06-2011, 09:44 AM

I have heard from my DH and our DA/litigator friends that what you described is a big reason why lawyers are typically never selected--fear of being able to unduly influence (whether intentionally or unintentionally) the rest of the jurors. Sounds like that's a valid concern given what happened in the trial you participated in.

:yeahthat: Its not about lawyers knowing about the criminal system (um, yeah, not so much), but rather being able to sway the jury because they just.won't.shut.up. :)

lizzywednesday

07-06-2011, 09:58 AM

I've been called twice.

The first time, I was selected to a panel, but the trial did not proceed due to evidence that was not previously brought to light before the case went before a judge. (Divorce situation involving the death of an older teen minor while they were living with the EX-H. EX-W sued EX-H for wrongful death of minor, who had been drinking, but neglected to present that said minor had been previously emancipated, leaving her no grounds to sue.)

The second time, I made it to the voir dire and was dismissed due to my familiarity with the location of the incident in question. I probably also should have told the defense attorney that his client didn't help his case by wearing a dress shirt, jeans and work boots to his (unnecessary) appearance there (the dress shirt was great; the jeans, though clean, had huge logo patches on the butt pockets ... I'd have told my client to wear dress pants to a court appearance.)

I am still fascinated by the jury process, especially having worked on the production of law school textbooks at several points during my work life (I currently edit/maintain legal treatise materials), and have been told by lawyers and former lawyers that I should seriously consider a career in the law. Honestly, while it can be imperfect, the legal system is an absolutely fascinating thing!

vludmilla

07-06-2011, 10:00 AM

I was selected while I was pregnant and in grad school and working full time. It was STRESSFUL. I had to drive down to lower Manhattan every morning. I couldn't use public transportation because I needed to go to classes afterward. They absolutely would not let me go for the longest time. It was toward the end of the semester and I had doctoral comps. I was stressing beyond belief. There was an OB/GYN on the jury with me and I think she saw the toll the stress was taking on me and I believe she lobbied the judge to let me go and he did. I hope to never be on a jury again. I'm just not suited to it.

wellyes

07-06-2011, 10:18 AM

There was a law school student on my jury. She offered some good insights into the process for us, but I honestly don't think it helped the defense or --- gosh, I almost said offense, I guess the word is prosecutor. She was very focused on keeping us in line and looking just at the right evidence and specific questions, but I think most of us figured that out anyway.

Puddy73

07-06-2011, 12:48 PM

smiles33

07-06-2011, 12:58 PM

LOL. I've been called 3 times and never made it out of the jury waiting room. I'm going in again next Wed. I actually would love to serve on a jury but hopefully not for another year or two when DD2 is in preschool 10 minutes from DH's office. DD2's current daycare center is at my office, which is 45 minutes from the courthouse (one way) during non-rush hour traffic. If I have to drop her off there and get back to the courthouse for jury duty for several weeks, I'm going to be screwed!

Cam&Clay

07-06-2011, 01:16 PM

I have lived in VA my entire life. When I was 24, I had been called for duty every year since I registered to vote at 18. Every year. Since then I've been called about 3 more times, which totals more than anyone I've ever known.

Here's the interesting part. I have never been picked once I get there. Never. I used to think it was because I was so young (when I was 18) but nowadays I just don't know. I'm a librarian for the county school system, for pete's sake. I don't know why they don't like my looks but they don't. I take off from work, getting a freakin' substitute, make sub plans, and they send me home.

The closest I ever came was an obstruction of justice case a few years ago. I made it to the actual jury box and then was eliminated. Again.

TwinFoxes

07-06-2011, 01:36 PM