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Just before jurors returned a verdict yesterday in a breach-of-contract case involving the creators of the NBC sitcom "Will & Grace," lawyers for the network revealed that the jury foreman writes an anti-corporate blog where he has criticized the network, today's Daily Journal reports. Superior Court Judge Warren L. Ettinger replaced foreman Dean Hartwell with an alternate and told the jury to come back today for questioning to see whether their verdict was tainted by Hartwell. They could have to re-deliberate the case, after already spending more than week to reach a verdict.
Several jurors dropped their heads backward and let out loud sighs of discontent, while others looked at one another in disbelief. Ettinger apologized and said, "I can't read minds, and this is not the time I want to be able to do that."As the jury was dismissed for lunch, a female juror asked: "Can I scream in here? Can I scream?"
NBC asked for a mistrial — and it should be said this is the same NBC that is happy to have one of its news producers sit on the Phil Spector jury.
* They settled: No terms disclosed.