Can/Should a small business owner get out of Jury Duty?
A friend of mine who runs a health care practice just got a letter telling him to report for jury duty. He is in a solo practice and any day he isn’t working is a day when he makes no money. He is married, with one child, and his wife doesn’t work (outside the home, that is.)
What should he do? He wants to send a letter trying to get out of jury duty. I know you can get one waiver, but I’m not sure if you can get off totally.
I do know that many people who are called only show up for one day, they don’t get put on a jury, and they can go home. But what if this guy were picked to be on a jury?
Here are the possibilities:
A: Write the letter asking to be “permanently” excused from jury duty.
B: Write asking to be excused this time but say you will make arrangements to have someone cover your practice or re-arrange your schedule to be gone for a day or more.
C: Show up and plead your case for being excused from a lengthy trial. The benefit to this option is that you have fulfilled your obligation with minimal disruption of your practice/life.
Other options? What do you think? Your comments/suggestions would be helpful.
3 Comments
I say go. They usually announce at the beginning how long the trial is expected to last, if more than one day, claim hardship.
I say this an attorney and a small business owner. Like it or not, jury is your civic duty. The courts need good people to show up – remember, it’s supposed to be a jury of your peers, not just those who feel like going.
Thanks for the comment, Kelly. The court also gives you plenty of notice, so a business owner can find someone to take over for a day, or rearrange schedules.
In my area, one of the legitimate exemptions is that your contributions are so critical to your business that it ceases to function in your absence. Because I’m my only employee and the primary source of income for my household, I have been excused every time with no problems. I just sent a polite letter citing the exemption and describing the nature of my business, and enclosed a business card.