Jury continues in fen-phen lawyer trial

LOUISVILLE, Ky., July 2 (UPI) -- A Kentucky jury was ordered to continue deliberations after declaring themselves deadlocked on charges against two lawyers in a massive fen-phen settlement.

The judge in the Louisville trial ordered the panel to keep trying after they acquitted one defendant Tuesday but said they couldn't reach a verdict on the other two defendants.

The three were charged with taking a cut of the statewide $200 million fen-phen settlement that was about $65 million more than they were entitled to.

The Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal said that in an unusual move the defense urged that deliberations to continue while the prosecution told the judge they would accept a mistrial.

The defense may have been bolstered by the acquittal of Melbourne Mills, who the newspaper said had claimed that he was too drunk at the time to have taken part in the conspiracy.