‘Top Chef’ jury tripped up on one member’s presumption of guilt
Jurors in the “Top Chef’’ trial have encountered some difficulty with one of their own.
US District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock, who is presiding over the trial, read a note on Monday afternoon that was sent to him by the jurors deliberating in the trial of four Teamsters union members charged with strong-arming a production company for the television show.
“We have a juror who is assuming guilt over innocence,’’ the note from the jurors reads, according to Woodlock. “We are not sure how to go on from here. Any suggestions would be helpful.’’
The judge sent back a note to the federal jury reminding them that they presumption of innocence is of “the utmost importance’’ and the panel should use that rule as they decide whether to convict or acquit the Teamsters in the closely watched trial.
The jury of nine women and three men started their deliberations on Thursday afternoon, spent about eight hours on Friday discussing the case among themselves, and resumed deliberations around 9 a.m. Monday.
During the trial, celebrity host Padma Lakshmi testified that she felt “terrified’’ when confronted by the Teamsters outside a Milton restaurant in 2014.
Defense attorneys for the Teamsters who crashed the filming at the Steel & Rye restaurant in Milton said the men were exercising their constitutionally protected right to picket for union jobs, for themselves and their fellow union members.
The four Teamsters — Daniel Redmond, 49; John Fidler, 53; Robert Cafarelli, 47; and Michael Ross, 62 — are charged with conspiracy and attempted extortion and face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. They belonged to the Charlestown-based Teamsters Local 25.
The four men have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
