Jury Selection

A large group of jurors were excused right away for hardship or vacation plans. Tip to get out of jury service: Get plane tickets.

Attorneys questioned jurors. Tort reform and large awards were brought up immediately. When asked if a child of theirs had been harmed by a surgical procedure would they seek redress you saw some backpedaling. Asked to share negative medical experiences jurors mention a misdiagnosed heart attack and a misdiagnosed back condition with an almost loss of legs. It never ceases to amaze me how open people are in front of a group of strangers. One man talked of coming home to find his wife had attempted suicide. One juror was so incoherent you just know he is not going to make it to the final 15.

The injured woman was brought into Court for about an hour this morning. She is in a wheel chair and I can’t tell if she knows what is going on. She would make unintelligible sounds from time to time. Mercifully, she was not back for the afternoon.

It has been discovered that several of the jurors have spoken to the husband of the injured woman while Court was recessed. This is a big no no. It is construed as trying to win favor with the jury. The bailiff just told me the husband has been a problem at previous hearings. He makes faces at the doctors and when a ruling went his way he stood up and said to the other side, “Ha ha we won!”. The jurors that talked to the husband are being taken into chambers individually for questioning.

Not much came of it except the Judge warning jurors not to talk to any of the parties or attorneys. The rest of the day will continue to be attorneys questioning the jurors. I’m keeping my fingers crossed a jury will be picked today