One single juror on Novell's anti-trust violation case against Microsoft enabled the case end without a verdict, according to Deseret News.
As we reported on Friday, the two month trial ended after three days of deliberation and no decision by the 12 person jury. The trial include testimony by Bill Gates over Novell's claim that Microsoft deliberately delayed the release of Windows 95 in order "to suppress the sales of WordPerfect and Novell's related office productivity applications." Novell was asking for as much as $1.3 billion in damages.
Corbyn Alvey, a 21 year old security guard, was the one who felt that Novell had not made their case and held out against 11 others who felt differently, telling Deseret News:
I walk away feeling honestly myself, and I can't speak for the other jurors, that I made the right decision even if it resulted in a hung jury. There were so many inferences that needed to be drawn that I felt that it was unfair to Microsoft to go out on a limb and say yes.
It's unknown if the jury would have awarded the damages that Novell was requesting, even if Alvey had been persuaded. Five jurors who spoke with Microsoft attorneys after trial said they would have not. Microsoft is now seeking to have the case dismissed.
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