Opinion ID: 2433485
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Alleged Erroneous Excusals for Cause

Text: Nicklasson claims the trial court erred in excusing jurors Fleece and Wozniak for cause after the members of the jury had been chosen.
First, we note that Nicklasson tried to strike Ms. Fleece for cause, a motion the trial court overruled. Now, he assigns error to the trial court's decision to dismiss her as a juror because she began crying hysterically immediately after the list of jurors was read. The trial court called counsel to the bench to discuss dismissing her after she began crying. The court stated: Ms. Fleece is having a nervous breakdown in front of us.... No one else is being as emotional as she is. She's being incapable of considering, what I see here. Section 494.485, RSMo 1994, permits the trial court to replace jurors who become or are found to be unable or disqualified to perform their duties. Given Ms. Fleece's inappropriate emotional response to news of her jury service, we find no abuse of discretion by the trial court's decision that she was unable to perform her duties as a juror and in replacing her with an alternate.
Ms. Wozniak was originally selected as an alternate juror. She took Ms. Fleece's place after Ms. Fleece's excusal. The trial court received a note from Ms. Wozniak's doctor, Dr. Craig Boyd, indicating that Ms. Wozniak, who was pregnant, was subject to pre-term labor and that her doctor believed health considerations counseled against jury service. The trial court later received a call from Wozniak's husbandalso a doctorrestating what Dr. Boyd had written. The trial court asked Ms. Wozniak whether she could sit on the jury. She replied: I honestly don't think that I can sit here for the next 14 days. It's uncomfortable to sit here hour after hour. I have very bad veins. And I didn't mention this in my questionnaire. I really didn't think it pertinent at the time when you're called for jury duty. And it's just 99 percent of the population who gets called for jury duty and doesn't probably get called for this kind of duty. And that's probably why I didn't bring that up before. But do I think I can sit here for 14 days comfortably and be able to concentrate? I doubt it. Given the pre-term labor susceptibility, vein problems, and inability to concentrate reported by Ms. Wozniak and her doctor, we find no abuse of discretion in the trial court's decision to excuse her. SECTION 494.485, RSMO 1994. The points are denied.