by Ben Vernia | May 12th, 2011
Reuters reported on May 10 that District Judge Roger Titus of Maryland granted former Glaxo SmithKline attorney Lauren Stevens’ motion for a judgment of acquittal in her trial for obstruction of justice. The news agency quoted Judge Titus issuing his ruling:
I believe that it would be a miscarriage of justice to permit this case to go to the jury. . . . I conclude that the defendant in this case should never have been prosecuted and she should be permitted to resume her career.
The government lost the case on a Rule 29 motion, offered at the close of the government’s case. The government had to reindict Stevens last month after Judge Titus dismissed the obstruction of justice count in March for a mistake in responding to a grand juror’s question on the advice of counsel defense.
