Retrial ordered in civil verdict against Diocese of Green Bay

An Outagamie County judge today granted a new trial to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, concluding a member of the jury that ruled in favor of two childhood victims of sexual assault by a priest was biased.
......

Concerns over jury bias came forward after a juror came forward after a parking lot conversation with peers following trial.

The juror at the center of the bias issue mentioned to peers that a family member had attended St. Therese School in Appleton during the period Feeney was assigned to the church. She questioned whether he could have been a victim of abuse. The juror was also friends with a cousin of the Merryfields’ mother.

John Peterson, an attorney for the brothers, said the juror thought she could be fair and had no information to suggest her relative was a victim of Feeney.

“We always have to rely on the word of the jurors when it comes to the question of bias,” Peterson said.

Krueger expressed dismay about the cost to the parties and the county and said she doesn’t desire a new trial.

“The court must balance the desire for finality of jury deliberations with the constitutional right to a fair trial,” she wrote.

full article at GBPG

Thank God they didn't need to invoke the "ministerial exemption."