Legal Definitions - partial verdict

A partial verdict occurs when a jury delivers a decision on only some of the issues presented in a case, rather than all of them. This can happen in several ways:

• The jury reaches a decision on some charges but not others against a single defendant.
• The jury reaches a decision regarding some defendants but not all defendants involved in a multi-defendant trial.
• The jury finds a defendant guilty of some charges and innocent of others, effectively delivering a mixed outcome across all charges.

In essence, the jury has completed its deliberations and reached a conclusion on certain aspects of the case, while other aspects may remain unresolved or have received a specific, but not universal, finding.

Examples:

• Scenario 1: Multiple Defendants

  Imagine a trial where three individuals—Sarah, Mark, and Lisa—are jointly accused of conspiracy and fraud. After extensive deliberation, the jury unanimously agrees that Sarah is guilty of both charges and Mark is innocent of all charges. However, they are unable to reach a unanimous decision regarding Lisa's guilt or innocence on either charge.

  In this situation, the judge might accept a partial verdict concerning Sarah and Mark. Lisa's case for those specific charges would then result in a mistrial, meaning she could potentially face a separate retrial on those unresolved matters.

  This illustrates a partial verdict because the jury delivered a complete decision for two out of the three defendants, but left the third defendant's fate undecided.

• Scenario 2: Multiple Charges for One Defendant (Unresolved)

  Consider a case where a defendant named Alex is on trial for three distinct crimes: armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and grand theft auto. The jury deliberates and quickly reaches a unanimous decision, finding Alex guilty of armed robbery and grand theft auto. However, despite further discussion, they remain deadlocked and cannot agree on a verdict for the assault with a deadly weapon charge.

  The court would accept a partial verdict for the armed robbery and grand theft auto charges. The prosecution would then have to decide whether to retry Alex solely on the unresolved assault charge.

  This demonstrates a partial verdict because the jury rendered a decision on two of the three charges, leaving one charge completely unresolved.

• Scenario 3: Mixed Outcome for One Defendant (Resolved but Differentiated)

  Suppose a business executive, Ms. Chen, is facing trial for two separate financial crimes: embezzlement and money laundering. After hearing all the evidence and deliberating, the jury returns its findings. They declare Ms. Chen guilty of embezzlement but find her innocent of the money laundering charge.

  This outcome is also considered a partial verdict. While the jury has addressed every charge, their decision is not a blanket "guilty" or "innocent" across the board. Instead, they have made distinct findings for each specific charge, resulting in a mixed outcome for the defendant.

  This example shows a partial verdict because the jury delivered a verdict that is "partial" in its findings, differentiating between guilt and innocence for various charges against the same individual.