DO LOOKS MATTER TO JURORS?
As a trial attorney in Chicago, I am interested in researching the factors that jurors take into consideration in deciding their verdict. A recent Cornell University study, “When Emotionality Trumps Reason,” has found that in criminal cases, unattractive defendants are 22% more likely to be convicted than good-looking ones. Unattractive defendants also get slapped with harsher sentences. I wonder how the results of this study would play out in a civil matter, such as a car accident or a medical malpractice matter. Do "better looking" plaintiffs receive higher verdicts or are unattractive defendants more likely to get hit with a verdict?
The study examines how jurors make decisions rationally, based on facts and logic while others do not use reason. Jurors will often decide on emotions, taking into consideration factors unrelated to the case - looks being one of them.
