Juror PTSD

[nondescriptive]

A juror who served in the murder trial of Michael Rafferty (found guity in murder of Tori Stafford) claims she is suffering from PTSD due to the graphic nature of the evidence against Rafferty. Says her symptoms are:memory loss, extreme anger, a shopping addiction that has left her poor.....etc,

She is seeking compensation as a victim of the crime by Rafferty, so far she has been denied, but case will be going to appeals court

Can you imagine if she wins?, then every one who has been involved with a violent crime trial will be filing for compensation: defence lawyers, judges , journalists, court staff...etc

 

[italianguy74]

A juror who served in the murder trial of Michael Rafferty (found guity in murder of Tori Stafford) claims she is suffering from PTSD due to the graphic nature of the evidence against Rafferty. Says her symptoms are:memory loss, extreme anger, a shopping addiction that has left her poor.....etc,

She is seeking compensation as a victim of the crime by Rafferty, so far she has been denied, but case will be going to appeals court

Can you imagine if she wins?, then every one who has been involved with a violent crime trial will be filing for compensation: defence lawyers, judges , journalists, court staff...etc

The only way I can see her winning this case is if she was put in the court room as a part of jury duty and it wasn't her choice to be there.

 

[benstt]

The only way I can see her winning this case is if she was put in the court room as a part of jury duty and it wasn't her choice to be there.

I volunteer for jury duty all the time and never hear back.

 

[T.O.tourist]

Can you imagine if she wins?

I was once a block away from a traffic accident and I now suffer from anxiety whenever I see an unsafe driver, I have been self/internet diagnosed as having PTSD.
I am seeking compensation from anyone who has ever received a citation for a vehicular citation.

***** CLARIFICATION: Not to be against someone suffering from PTSD. Against people abusing a situation, and any relevant condition, to create a lawsuit and perpetuate a litigious society.

 

[shack]

The only way I can see her winning this case is if she was put in the court room as a part of jury duty and it wasn't her choice to be there.

I'd accept that argument if she was forced to vote for Trump, but not being a juror.

 

[spankingman]

THINK about what you are saying! That trial was long. VERY GRAPHIC testimony was heard of what was done to her as well as VERY GRAPHIC photos of the little girls body. You can't tell me it would not affect you in some way. Maybe not PTSD but you don't know. People are all wired differently. Some can cope with things better than others.

I suffer from PTSD and have for years before we knew what it was. Due to horrific sexual abuse as a child in the early 60's. You "Just don't get over it "! As many people like to say.

 

[barnacler]

Jury duty is not voluntary.

I fully can appreciate the fact that a person's psyche can be extremely damaged by being forced to see and hear things that make any person with an ounce of empathy for their fellow human being, never mind a child, totally revolted and horrified. And it could affect one's sanity and ability to function.

The question, as is often the case, is where to draw the line in this kind of thing.

 

[oldjones]

Jury duty is not voluntary.

I fully can appreciate the fact that a person's psyche can be extremely damaged by being forced to see and hear things that make any person with an ounce of empathy for their fellow human being, never mind a child, totally revolted and horrified. And it could affect one's sanity and ability to function.

The question, as is often the case, is where to draw the line in this kind of thing.

It would seem better to draw the line somewhere before a lawsuit was the only way left to get help for the harm the administration of the law caused.

 

[Keebler Elf]

A lot of the typical prejudices and stigmas against mental illness can be seen in this thread.

 

[shack]

Admittedly, I may have sped, but the amount of anxiety, feeling of humiliation and recurrent nightmares I have can only mean that the officer issuing the ticket, set off PTSD for me.

My life has never been the same since.

 

[MissCroft]

A lot of the typical prejudices and stigmas against mental illness can be seen in this thread.

Yep. I obviously can't comment on the juror because I don't know what her symptoms are but I dealt with PTSD in the past and it is not something I would wish on another human being.

 

[legmann]

A lot of the typical prejudices and stigmas against mental illness can be seen in this thread.

Agreed, and quite foolish and short-sighted it is.

Admittedly, I may have sped, but the amount of anxiety, feeling of humiliation and recurrent nightmares I have can only mean that the officer issuing the ticket, set off PTSD for me. My life has never been the same since.

Comparing apples and oranges here.

 

[LisbethNova]

To be fair, I have heard stories about what happened to some of the jurors who had to watch the videos from Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka...it really messed many people up.

 

[Sniper Jr.]

A juror who served in the murder trial of Michael Rafferty (found guity in murder of Tori Stafford) claims she is suffering from PTSD due to the graphic nature of the evidence against Rafferty. Says her symptoms are:memory loss, extreme anger, a shopping addiction that has left her poor.....

... and thus the lawsuit. Hopefully the Appeals Court is smart enough to toss it.

 

[shack]

Comparing apples and oranges here.

I consider PTSD to be associated with severe cases of trauma.

Being on a jury can be difficult and unpleasant but it is not a severe hardship. To me, the stress of being on a jury is not that different from being pulled over by a cop and possibly being ticketed and/or lectured to.

Let's call it comparing oranges to tangerines.

 

[legmann]

Serving on a jury in itself should be innocuous; some of the video and other graphic evidence jurors are forced to view (I have to assume) must be no different than being witness to the crime as it occurred.

Merely reading the details of the Stafford abduction/killing made me sick to my stomach; I couldn't imagine sitting through any such trial.

 

[fuji]

It might be reasonable to pay for counseling sessions for people who serve on a jury for particularly gruesome crimes. I can see how it might be disturbing. I don't think it should result in a disability claim and a big payday but it might be prudent to provide access to counseling to help people deal with it.

 

[legmann]

It might be reasonable to pay for counseling sessions for people who serve on a jury for particularly gruesome crimes. I can see how it might be disturbing. I don't think it should result in a disability claim and a big payday but it might be prudent to provide access to counseling to help people deal with it.

That is reasonable, and a far better approach than out-of-hand dismissal that some here so quickly jump to.

 

[SkyRider]

One of my friends found a Summer job at the TTC when he was still in university. He thought he lucked out until he was told that one of his job duties was to clean up after a suicide. This was in dark ages and he never got counselling. When you are stuck on the subway and they say the delay is due to a personal injury situation (that is code for suicide).