We, the Jury...

I'm sitting in the courtroom right now, multitasking, waiting for the jury to return their verdict.
 

Piled on my desk in the courtroom:

A mug of coffee
My laptop
Data DVD's
A book (End of Normal)
My keys to the courtroom
A stack of notes, reminders to myself
My docket
Pens
My cell phone (on silent!)

The courtroom is vacant at the moment, the lawyers and parties having gotten bored with waiting, leaving instructions with the bailiff on where to reach them when the jury reaches a verdict.  The courtroom clerk has excused herself, overcome with munchies, and has gone off in search of a sugar fix.  The judge is in his chambers talking on the phone, signing orders and smoking cigarettes--despite the country-wide ordinance of no smoking in public buildings, but who is brave enough to challenge a circuit judge on what he can and cannot do in his own chambers?  No one has tried so far.

This is a bizarre case.  Short and sweet.  A woman was driving a wrecker one night after dark, on her way to see a friend for a social visit, and out of nowhere appears a woman in the road, who, the evidence suggests, was likely drunk, dressed in dark clothing, and although the defendant claims she tried her best to swerve and avoid hitting this woman, the side mirror of the wrecker ends up striking the woman and she's knocked off the road into a deep and obscure drainage ditch.  The driver in panic continues to drive and "leaves the scene of the accident," later calling 911 to report having witnessed a young boy getting struck by a car, lying about that, the location of the event, and other details in her conversation with Dispatch.  The driver insisted that she was deeply concerned in her report to 911 of what she had apparently just witnessed, but preferred not to get involved.  It is later learned that part of her bizarre actions following the event were due to the fact that she did not have a valid driver's license at the time of the accident and did not want to "get caught."

Authorities are dispatched to the scene, falsely directed by the panicked driver, finding nothing, obviously.  Two days later the victim's body is found in the deep ditch off the side of the road.  The victim, it is represented, was a known town drunk who wandered up and down the highway at all times of the day and night.

During the subsequent investigation, the police catch up with the perpetrator, and fast-forwarding the story, she admits to guilt and pleads guilty straight up in court and ends up serving time for the felony of leaving the scene of an accident causing death. 

The victim's sisters, two women who also share that same and questionable reputation of their lost loved one, are now suing in civil court for damages. 

Contributory negligence is being argued by the defense.

Compensatory and punitive damages are being sought by the plaintiffs.

Although I do not claim to exonerate the actions of the defendant for not having stopped after the accident nor failing to call for assistance, I can't help but wonder how much negligence should be attributed to the victim for having been stone drunk in the middle of the road after dark, dressed in dark clothing.

The jury is obviously struggling with that same issue, as the clock on the wall ticks away the passage of time. We patiently (or not so patiently) await their decision:

Meanwhile, I will continue archiving court records, answering emails, reading my book (I'm loving it!), and ... BLOGGING.

 “Where there's a will, there's a lawsuit."

~ Addison Mizner