Let’s face it, jury duty is not the most enjoyable experience in
the world. It can be a big commitment in time and money without a whole
lot of reward. Those of us who have actually served on a jury know that
it can be boring, tedious, unengaging, and did I say boring? Even if we
begin our service caring about our civic duty by the end we just want to
get back to our normal life.
Some may dread jury duty so much that they devote considerable time deciphering a way out of it when they receive their summons. Some think that if they simply do not show up they can avoid the problem. This is probably not a good idea as not showing up for jury duty is sometimes a criminal offense and you can be penalized for it. Still others think that if you can clearly show you are prejudiced for one party or the other, or say that you know the defendant or even fake a hearing problem then they can get out of jury duty. Others, however, take it to a whole other level…an “insane” level.
Earlier this month a women in Denver, Colorado pleaded guilty to “attempting to influence a public servant” for faking a mental illness to get out of jury duty. According to the Denver Post the women wore hair curlers and mismatched reindeer socks into court in an effort to go home early. This tactic may seem ridiculous but it actually worked, at least for a time. The women was able to convince a judge to dismiss her as a result of her performance and that judge was none the wiser until the “crazy lady” turned into the “not crazy but maybe stupid” lady. Her perfect crime was found out when she told her story on a radio show where the judge who had dismissed her from jury duty happened to be listening in.
One might hope this experience will teach this women to leave her “crazy” at home but it should be a lesson to the rest of us jury duty dodgers as well. Why? Well the crime she pleaded to is a felony. What that means is that if you think you have a fool proof way to get out of jury duty you might want to think again or you could end up in that court room for a much different and much more unpleasant reason.
If you end up in a court room, the Crosby Law Firm can help you. Please call the Crosby Law Firm at 815-397-2006 to schedule a free consultation.
Some may dread jury duty so much that they devote considerable time deciphering a way out of it when they receive their summons. Some think that if they simply do not show up they can avoid the problem. This is probably not a good idea as not showing up for jury duty is sometimes a criminal offense and you can be penalized for it. Still others think that if you can clearly show you are prejudiced for one party or the other, or say that you know the defendant or even fake a hearing problem then they can get out of jury duty. Others, however, take it to a whole other level…an “insane” level.
Earlier this month a women in Denver, Colorado pleaded guilty to “attempting to influence a public servant” for faking a mental illness to get out of jury duty. According to the Denver Post the women wore hair curlers and mismatched reindeer socks into court in an effort to go home early. This tactic may seem ridiculous but it actually worked, at least for a time. The women was able to convince a judge to dismiss her as a result of her performance and that judge was none the wiser until the “crazy lady” turned into the “not crazy but maybe stupid” lady. Her perfect crime was found out when she told her story on a radio show where the judge who had dismissed her from jury duty happened to be listening in.
One might hope this experience will teach this women to leave her “crazy” at home but it should be a lesson to the rest of us jury duty dodgers as well. Why? Well the crime she pleaded to is a felony. What that means is that if you think you have a fool proof way to get out of jury duty you might want to think again or you could end up in that court room for a much different and much more unpleasant reason.
If you end up in a court room, the Crosby Law Firm can help you. Please call the Crosby Law Firm at 815-397-2006 to schedule a free consultation.
