Tweeting Juror Prompts Motion for New Trial

Juror tweeted throughout trial, raising risk of prejudice: Arkansas Supreme Court

(NEWSER) - A mere 140 characters has led to quite the mess in Arkansas. The state's Supreme Court ruled yesterday that a 26-year-old death row inmate receive a new trial because a juror tweeted throughout his first one. Though a lower court found Erickson Dimas-Martinez "suffered no prejudice," an associate justice yesterday wrote that "prejudice results from the fact that the juror admitted to the misconduct, which proves that he failed to follow the court's instructions, and it is the failure to follow the law that prejudiced Appellant." A sample tweet from juror Randy Franco: "Choices to be made. Hearts to be broken. We each define the great line." More»

Woman guilty in UK's first contempt of court case involving Internet

(NEWSER) - A British juror who took empathy for the defendant a little too far may be going to jail for contempt of court. Joanna Fraill used Facebook to find and befriend a woman she had helped acquit on drug charges. Before the jury had reached a verdict on other defendants, the two chatted online about the jury's deliberations, causing the collapse of one of a complex series of trials estimated to have cost some $10 million, the Telegraph reports. More»

(NEWSER) - AIG 's longtime CEO sold crucial assets in 2005 out of spite, the company's lawyers charged as they opened their civil suit against the ousted exec today in New York. “Hank Greenberg was mad. He was angry,” said a lawyer for the bailed-out mega-insurer. Greenberg was weeks away from being ousted as CEO when he authorized the sale of shares from a trust fund meant to provide for AIG execs. More»

Lack of 'persnickety' people helped retrial avoid second deadlock

(NEWSER) - Twelve agreeable jurors made all the difference between Phil Spector's two murder trials, lawyers from both sides tell the Los Angeles Times. The jurors who this week voted unanimously to convict heard the same evidence as the jury that deadlocked in 2007, prosecutors and the music legend's lawyer say, but they bonded over the course of the case, avoiding the discord that plagued the first panel. More»

It was money, not celebrity, that aided the producer’s case

(NEWSER) - Phil Spector’s money mattered more than his celebrity in convincing two jurors of his innocence in this week’s mistrial on second-degree murder charges. Several jurors had never heard of the record producer—so it was his ability to hire a pricey team of lawyers, forensic experts, and private investigators, the LA Times concludes. More»