Michelle R. Peirce, co-chair of the White Collar & Government Enforcement group, was quoted in Law360 in a review of the latest in the Karen Read trial.
She provided commentary on Superior Court Justice Beverly J. Cannone’s denial of the post-trial motion to dismiss the criminal charges, where the Justice noted that the defense consented to a mistrial being declared and that no formal judgment of acquittal was ever entered.
“The system is set up to have a very formal, official verdict read in court with the jury present, and that didn’t happen here,” Peirce said. “Whether it should have, would have, could have, is a different question. That didn’t happen here, and courts are loath to relitigate what a jury did or didn’t do when you don’t have that full-blown verdict.”