A Manhattan judge said Wednesday that lawyers for Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin are seeking a new trial on her defamation claims against The New York Times, along with his removal from the case.
U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff made the disclosure during a brief telephone conference with lawyers.
Rakoff said in an orderlast week that jurors knew before delivering their verdictagainst Palin earlier this month that he had ruled against her as a matter of law the previous day.
Rakoff said the jurors repeatedly assured his law clerk that pop-up news notifications on their phones about the judge’s ruling did not affect their deliberations.
After lawyers for Palin asked to make their requests in a 50-page written submission, the judge said each side could file papers of the same length after he issues a written opinion next week explaining why he decided he was tossing out the case regardless of the verdict returned by the jury.