When is a unanimous verdict not unanimous?

For the Defense

By Donald P. Eckler

Donald “Pat” Eckler is a partner at Pretzel & Stouffer focusing on professional liability defense, insurance coverage litigation, and general tort defense. He is the legislative chair of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel. Eckler also is the co-host of the Podium and Panel podcast with Daniel Cotter. His views are his own and not those of his firm or its clients.

Posted February 10, 2021 11:17 AM

When jury trials start again in federal and state court and whether in person, virtually (I hope not), or on a hybrid basis (I am withholding judgment), they will begin with two recent decisions, one from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and one from the 1st District Appellate Court, that provide color and context to the potential of juror coercion and how to avoid it.As the U.S. Supreme Court held in Ramos v. Louisiana, 140 S. Ct. 1390 (2020), and the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed in Kakos v. Butler, 2016 IL 120377 …

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