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THE JUDGE SHOULD NOT HAVE ACCEPTED A PARTIAL VERDICT WITHOUT INTERVIEWING THE JUROR WHO HAD INFORMED THE COURT SHE COULD NOT CONTINUE DELIBERATING BECAUSE SHE WAS SUFFERING ANXIETY ATTACKS; BECAUSE THE JUROR WAS NOT QUESTIONED, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHETHER THE PARTIAL VERDICT WAS REACHED BEFORE THE JUROR BECAME UNABLE TO CONTINUE (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing defendant’s conviction and ordering a new trial, determined the judge should have interviewed a juror who said she was suffering anxiety attacks and could not continue deliberations. The judge did not question the juror and accepted a partial verdict, without knowing whether the partial verdict was reached before the juror became unable to continue:

“The Court of Appeals, in People v Buford (69 NY2d 290, 299), set forth the basic framework to be followed when conduct occurs during a trial that may be the basis for disqualifying a juror. The court should conduct an in camera inquiry of the juror, in which counsel should be permitted to participate if they desire, and evaluate the nature and importance of the information and its impact on the case. In addition, the trial court’s reasons for its ruling should be placed on the record . . . [and] the court may not speculate as to possible partiality of the juror” … . “Although the Court of Appeals acknowledged that an ‘in camera inquiry may not be necessary in the unusual case . . . where the court, the attorneys, and defendant all agree that there is no possibility that the juror’s impartiality could be affected and that there is no reason to question the juror,’ here, defense counsel wanted the juror to be questioned” … .

The Supreme Court erred in failing to conduct an in camera “probing and tactful inquiry” (People v Buford, 69 NY2d at 299) of juror number 11 before accepting the partial verdict … . As a result of the court’s failure to make any inquiry of the juror, it is unknown whether the juror became unable to serve before, or after, the jury had reportedly reached a verdict on one of the counts … . People v Moody, 2021 NY Slip Op 07559, Second Dept 12-29-21

 

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