Jump to full article: Bloomberg News, 2001-10-18
Author: William McQuillen
Intro: U.S. tobacco companies lost a bid to start anew in picking a jury in New Orleans to decide whether the industry must pay to monitor the health of Louisiana smokers and help them quit.
The Louisiana Supreme Court rejected the companies' claim that a flawed process might leave them with a biased jury. In a one-page ruling, the high court denied the motion for a new hearing on the matter.
Philip Morris Cos., R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc. and other tobacco companies claimed trial Judge Richard Ganucheau forced them to use all their jurors challenges on people the judge should have disqualified himself. Nine of 12 jurors must agree on a verdict in the case. . .
Nine alternate jurors still remain to be selected, and that process is expected to take two weeks beginning Monday.
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