Jury in NRA civil corruption trial faced complicating factors to reach liability verdict
To reach a verdict in the civil corruption trial against the National Rifle Association, jurors had to wade through a 17-page worksheet and agree on 60 questions — a lengthy task that may indicate why deliberations lasted five days.
To reach a verdict in the civil corruption trial against the National Rifle Association, jurors had to wade through a 17-page worksheet and agree on 60 questions — a lengthy task that may indicate why deliberations lasted five days.
The six-member jury, which reached a verdict Friday evening, faced many complicating factors as they worked together to find that Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's longtime leader, diverted millions of dollars away from the gun rights group to live luxuriously, while the NRA failed to properly manage its finances.
The jurors had to separately weigh the fate of each of the four defendants, including the controversial gun rights group, and address 10 multipart questions regarding violations of state nonprofit, estate and trust statutes.
As he delivered his instructions to the jury last Friday, State Supreme Court Judge Joel Cohen said they were "effectively conducting four trials in one."
If jurors found the individual defendants liable, they had to recommend the amount of money that each defendant would have to repay the NRA.
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