Juror Booted for Facebook-Friending Defendant

Social media continues to pose problems for courts across the country, as a Florida man was kicked off a civil trial jury after trying to friend a defendant on Facebook.

The juror, Jacob Jock, was in a jury pool for a personal injury lawsuit involving a traffic accident, and said he decided to look up people in the case to see if he knew them. When he came across the female defendant’s profile, Jock claims he “accidentally friend requested her,” when he didn’t think he’d get picked for the jury.

The Florida case is just the latest in a series of incidents involving jurors’ improper use of social media sites, and judges are starting to crack down, threatening jurors with contempt of court charges if they insist on giving constant updates or contacting defendants.

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