Jury duty...

So I’ve temporarily abandoned my blog to perform my annually required civic obligation, jury duty. Anticipating spending one day maximum downtown at the courthouse disgruntled like the rest of my peers, I surprisingly got picked to sit on a jury. Quite honestly, I’ve always wanted to be a juror thinking maybe I would luck up on an OJ-like trial and reap all the benefits, you know…write a bestseller recalling my experience as juror #11 and have a TV movie made from the book. A girl can dream can’t she? But to no avail, my case, a civil matter, is nothing more than determining liability in a bus to car accident. No broken bones, no shattered pelvis, no disfigurement, nothing, nada, zilch.

What’s interesting about this case is there is a video tape of the accident and yet it’s still not as simple as one might think. The bus was equipped with a camera facing traffic which captured the movement of the bus, up to and including the collision. However, it was a rainy evening and things aren’t as clear as they could be. Opening arguments, 3 days of testimony, 12 pages of notes, closing arguments, 20 pages of jury instruction and the jury finally gets the case. BUT WAIT, there is one little thing left before deliberation. 2 of the 14 jurors will be chosen randomly as alternates, in other words, 2 of the 14 jurors will have NO say so WHATSOEVER regarding their opinion in the matter. You can see where this is going right? The first selection, none only than Mrs. Esquire herself, what a freakin’ crock!!!!! Plaintiff’s attorney looked at me with frustration. I think he ultimately knew which position I would take in this matter given the fact that I am an attorney myself. The cards were written and I was ousted like Star Jones from The View. Now you would at least think that I would be free to go and continue with my life after I had already lost 3 whole days behind this nonsense (yes now its nonsense!). OH BUT NO!!!! To add fuel to the fire, I have to sit with the jury and listen WITHOUT emotion to their deliberations, JUST IN CASE one decides not to show up or God forbid something happens to one of them which would prevent their participation.

I’m infuriated…I had it all planned out, of course I would have offered my services to sit as the jury foreman and facilitate discussions amongst the oblivious jurors. Not that they were unintelligent but that they were not as in tune with the proceedings as I, paying attention to certain things when they should have been aware of others. But that’s neither here nor there. I was going to run the show and minimize time spent deliberating. It took them quite awhile to discern that negligence is not simply a question of “yes he was” or “no he wasn’t.” California follows the comparative negligence theory in which Plaintiff and Defendant can be equally at fault, or 60/40, 70/30, you see what I’m getting at. Very few believe Plaintiff is not wholly responsible nor do they believe Defendant is entirely accountable. They must now come up with some reasonable figure determining each party’s liability. This could seemingly take another day or two out of my life analyzing with scrutiny, poker-faced, as these 12 individuals determine the amount Plaintiff will ultimately be rewarded for injuries sustained on the evening of March 18, 2005.

In addition to this grave injustice, I must then head across town to my office and work an another 4 hours or so playing catch up. By the end of the night all I want to do to cuddle up with a warm body and sleep my aggravation away. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t secretly wish one of the jurors did not show up on Monday but I won’t get my hopes up too high. Let’s just hope that after Monday I can return to my daily routine, working hard and playing even harder.

I added to my THINGS TO DO LIST, avoid jury duty at all costs!!!