Jury Deliberations and Rendition of Verdict

• Author: Edward L. Birnbaum/Carl T. Grasso/Justice Ariel E. Belen
• Pages: 1047-1070

JURY DELIBERATIONS,

VERDICT

34-1

CHAPTER 34

JURY DELIBERATIONS AND

RENDITION OF VERDICT

I. DELIBERATIONS

A. General Points

§34:01 Beginning Deliberations

§34:02 Discharge of Alternate Jurors

§34:03 Review of Evidence

§34:04 Interaction With the Court

§34:05 Jurors Are Not Free to Determine the Law

B. Rendering the Verdict

§34:10 Announcing the Verdict

§34:11 Unanimity Not Required

§34:12 Reconsideration of Verdict Rendered

C. Polling Jury and Entering Verdict

§34:20 Right to Poll

§34:21 How to Poll Jury

§34:22 Make Request Before Jury Is Discharged

§34:23 Object if Poll Reveals Irregularity

§34:24 Polling During Trial

§34:25 Entr y of Verdict

§34:26 Inquiries of Jurors on the Record

II. JURY MISCONDUCT AND DEFECTIVE VERDICTS

A. Consideration of Outside Evidence

§34:30 Improper to Consider Outside Evidence

§34:31 Using Juror’s Personal Expertise

§34:32 “Improper Inf‌luence”

B. Compromise and Quotient Verdicts

1. Compromise Verdicts

§34:40 Def‌inition

§34:41 Liability Conceded

§34:42 Trade Off Between Liability and Damages

§34:43 Restrictions on Impeachment of Verdict

§34:44 Courts Reluctant to Find Compromise Verdict

§34:45 Non-Compromise Jury Instruction

2. Quotient Verdict

§34:50 Def‌inition

§34:51 Advance Agreement for Quotient Verdict Illegal

§34:52 Verdicts Rarely Invalidated on This Ground

JURY DELIBERATIONS,

VERDICT

New York Trial Notebook 34-2

III. IMPEACHING VERDICT

§34:60 General Rule

§34:61 No Impeachment Due to Juror Confusion Not Apparent From Trial Record

§34:62 Philosophy

§34:63 Juror Mistake