NEW YORK, April 2 (UPI) -- A New York judge Friday declared a mistrial in the six-month proceeding against Tyco executives Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz.
An angry Supreme Court Judge Michael Obus said intense media pressure on a 79-year-old juror, who last week was thought to have flashed an OK sign at defense attorneys, forced his hand in the 12th day of deliberations.
Soon after, jurors said their deliberations were "irreparably compromised" by infighting, the Wall Street Journal reported. Defense attorneys sought an immediate mistrial, but Obus initially refused.
Kozlowski and Swartz were being tried in state Supreme Court in New York, accused of looting Tyco of $170 million in unauthorized compensation and reaping an additional $430 million by illicitly selling stock while misleading shareholders. They had pleaded not guilty.
After declaring the mistrial, Obus told jurors they were free to discuss the case with the media but cautioned them their words would "forever be in the public domain."
The mistrial raises the possibility of a retrial for the two. The conference on the case has been set for May 7.
