Juror is fined $1K for posting on Facebook and causing mistrial
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Add another name to the growing list of jurors sanctioned for social media use during trial, in violation of the court rules.
“Dying from boredom” while serving as a juror in a New York City robbery case in September, Kimberly Ellis couldn’t resist posting on her emotional state and details of the jury’s deliberations, the New York Daily News reports.
The result was a mistrial in the Queens case, because no alternate juror was available to take her place. Held in contempt and fined $1,000, Ellis was apologetic and regretful about her mistake.
“I continued my personal life as if I was not there to judge a trial,” she told the newspaper. “It was my first time as a juror, and I was naive.”
The forbidden postings came to light because a Facebook friend of Ellis is a former federal and state prosecutor and blew the whistle.
Hat tip: New York Post.
