Juror who flipped the bird at defendant is partner at elite law firm; will she stay on jury?
Updated: A federal judge is considering whether to boot a juror from a high-profile corruption trial after she flipped the bird at someone she thought was stealing her taxi—one of the defendants in the case.
The juror is a lawyer, report the New York Times and the New York Daily News. She is a partner in an elite Manhattan law firm who works in corporate finance and securities, the Times says. The three defendants in the trial are accused in a scandal involving kickbacks in New York’s CityTime payroll system.
Defense lawyer Gerald Shargel told U.S. District Judge George Daniels that the juror gave lead defendant Mark Mazer the finger as they both tried to enter a cab. He also said the juror “locked eyes with me and gave me an extremely angry look” after jury selection ended on Tuesday. The trial is expected to last up to two months.
During jury selection, the Times says, the woman said she would be “a very tired juror” if selected because she would have to work every night and help care for her infant children.
Daniels questioned the juror about whether she had any contact with the parties. Not to her knowledge, she answered. She did say she was running for a cab, but some other people took it. She said she didn’t know who had stolen her cab, but she could be fair and impartial as a juror.
Subsequent coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyer who flipped the bird at defendant is removed as juror; was cab conflict the reason?”
Updated on Oct. 22 to add subsequent coverage.
