Bratz Judge Refuses to Grant Mistrial for Juror’s Ethnic Remarks
A federal judge in California has refused to grant a mistrial because of a juror’s disparaging comments about a CEO’s Iranian ethnicity in a copyright dispute over Bratz dolls.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson said the remarks about the chief executive officer for MGA Entertainment didn’t taint the jury panel and were made outside of the jury deliberation process, the Daily Journal reports (sub. req.). The juror had remarked that her husband, a lawyer, had Iranian clients who are stubborn, rude and stingy, and have stolen other people’s ideas.
Larson noted that one juror reported the insensitive remark to him and the juror who made it was rebuked by the foreman and others, the Recorder reports.
“If only every jury in this country reacted to racism or bigotry the way this jury did … we would have a much better jury system,” Larson said.
The ruling clears the way for the damages phase of the trial to begin. In the first phase of the trial, the jury ruled against Bratz manufacturer MGA when it found the doll had been created by an employee when he was working at Mattel.
