Rajat Gupta trial opens with jury selection

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NEW YORK, May 21 (UPI) -- Eight women, four men and four alternates were seated Monday in the insider trading trial of a former director of Goldman Sachs and Procter & Gamble.

Rajat Gupta's trial began with jury selection that included one procedural bone of contention, The New York Times reported.

Prosecutors on the opening morning of the trial protested the extensive use of jury consultants by Gupta's defense team.

Gupta's team included four lawyers, who got help from Doar Litgation Consulting, a firm that specializes in jury consulting, plus staff members of the law firm of Kramer Levin Laftalis & Frankel, who were fed the names of potential juror and researched their backgrounds at the law firm's office as the selection process was proceeding in the courtroom.

But U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff said it would be better to get the jury selection right than quibble about how they are selected, the Times said.

The trial started with 100 potential jurors. By 2 p.m., the selection was done, including a freelance beauty consultant, a fourth grade teacher, a psychiatric nurse, a marketing manager, an executive at a non-profit firm and a doctor's assistant -- eight women, four men and four alternates all told, The Times reported.

Gupta is accused of passing information to former Galleon Group hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, who is serving an 11-year sentence for insider trading.