UPDATE
News Corp unit cleared of piracy in DISH suit

SANTA ANA, California (Reuters) - A federal court jury on Thursday broadly cleared News Corp’s NDS unit of satellite television piracy charges in a suit brought by DISH Network that could have been worth more than $1 billion.

The jury awarded only $1,500 in damages from NDS for a single test incident with a satellite television smart card.

Sometimes the bad guys win.

U.S. jury reaches verdict on NDS, mistrial possible

SANTA ANA, California (Reuters) - Jurors have reached a verdict in the corporate espionage lawsuit against News Corp unit NDS Group Plc by DISH Network Corp, but the judge said on Wednesday he would first have to consider whether a legal issue warranted a mistrial in the case.

The eight-member jury reached a verdict late on Tuesday afternoon, following a single day of deliberations in the month-long trial, but it was sealed by U.S. District Judge David Carter after he learned a member of the panel had spoken to a lawyer for DISH Network Corp.

Carter said he would interview the woman, who according to DISH lawyers greeted them in a hallway and wished them “good luck,” on Thursday morning.

“I will ask the juror to come out and inquire what was said. If I need to take action, I certainly will,” Carter told attorneys during a hearing into the issue on Wednesday. “The last case is a mistrial.”

It will be too awful for words if Murdoch escapes justice because of some careless juror.