Simpson Juror Booted Over Potential Conflict Woman’s Daughter Worked For L.A. District Attorney

After three days of deliberations, the jury in the O.J. Simpson civil case returned to square one Friday with a new member after the only African American juror was dismissed for not disclosing a potential conflict.

Rosemary Caraway, a widow in her 60s, was dismissed because she has a daughter who works as a legal secretary in the office of Los Angeles County District Attorney Gil Garcetti, who prosecuted Simpson on murder charges in his 1995 criminal trial.

Garcetti’s office confirmed that they notified Superior Court Judge Hirishi Fujisaki, who is presiding over Simpson’s civil trial, as soon as they discovered an employee’s mother was on the jury.

A spokeswoman for Garcetti declined to say whether the juror and her daughter had ever had dinner with Simpson prosecutor Christopher Darden, as has been reported.

Fujisaki rejected a defense motion to declare a mistrial, and also rejected a plaintiff’s motion to sequester the newly configured jury.

“These jurors are going to be subjected to an extraordinary blast of publicity about their deliberations,” argued Daniel Petrocelli, who represents Fred Goldman. “I’m very concerned about this. We don’t want a mistrial.”

But Fujisaki said he didn’t know if the court has authority to sequester a jury in a civil case, as it would involve public money.

The jury began deliberating Tuesday afternoon in the wrongful-death suit brought by the parents of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Their suits seek an unspecified monetary award.

The new juror is an Asian-American computer programmer in his 30s. With his addition, the new jury comprises six women and six men. There are nine whites, one Hispanic, one Asian and one Jamaican-born juror whose parents are black and Asian.

The new jury deliberated about five hours Friday before breaking off for the weekend.