To reach a verdict in the civil corruption trial against the National Rifle Association, jurors had to wade through a 17-page worksheet and agree on 60 questions — a lengthy task that may indicate why deliberations lasted five days.
The six-member jury, which reached a verdict Friday evening, faced many complicating factors as they worked together to find that Wayne LaPierre, the NRA’s longtime leader, diverted millions of dollars away from the gun rights group to live luxuriously, while the NRA failed to properly manage its finances.
The jurors had to separately weigh the fate of each of the four defendants, including the controversial gun rights group, and address 10 multipart questions regarding violations of state nonprofit, estate and trust statutes.
As he delivered his instructions to the jury last Friday, State Supreme Court Judge Joel Cohen said they were “effectively conducting four trials in one.”
If jurors found the individual defendants liable, they had to recommend the amount of money that each defendant would have to repay the NRA.
“That’s a pretty complicated formula for a jury,” said Martín Sabelli, the former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
In the end, the jury ruled largely in favor of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who accused LaPierre and other current and former executives of flouting state laws and internal policies to enrich themselves.
Jurors determined that the NRA failed to properly run its nonprofit and its assets at any time between March 20, 2014 and May 2, 2022.
They also found that LaPierre, and the other defendants — John Frazer, the NRA’s corporate secretary and general counsel, and Wilson “Woody” Phillips, its former treasurer and chief financial officer — all violated their statutory obligation to discharge the duties of their position in good faith.
They said LaPierre caused $5.4 million in monetary harm to the NRA, but that he has already repaid at least $1…
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