Judge OKs New Trial for Ex-Jenkens Tax Leader, Cites 'Breathtaking' Lies of Suspended Lawyer on Jury
A federal judge in Manhattan has thrown out guilty verdicts against a former head of the Chicago tax practice at now-shuttered Jenkens & Gilchrist and another ex-partner there, due to “breathtaking” lies by a suspended lawyer on the jury.
Paul Daugerdas and Donna Guerin will now get new trials under the ruling Monday by U.S. District Judge William Pauley, Reuters reports.
Pauley also axed the jury’s verdict against an accounting firm executive, but let stand the conviction of a Deutsche Bank broker because he found the defendant’s lawyers suspected Catherine Conrad was not who she had represented herself to be during jury selection.
“Because ‘justice must satisfy the appearance of justice,’ courts need to ensure that tainted jury verdicts—even those reached after long and costly trials—do not stand,” Pauley wrote. “But justice also demands that a defendant having reason to suspect juror misconduct not remain silent in order to secure a risk-free trial.”
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Hearing OK’d re Convicted Tax Lawyer’s Claim That Juror’s Hidden Legal Past Prevented Fair Trial”
ABAJournal.com: “Suspended Lawyer Is Hauled into Court, Admits She Lied About Legal Past to Get on Jury”
