This week a New York courtroom acquitted Christopher Carter, a member of an Equinox gym in the city, of assaulting a neighbor during a spin class. Stuart Sugarman had been grunting and shouting out things like “You go girl!” throughout the spin session, and Carter, to no avail, repeatedly entreated the Equinox staff to quiet him down. When the moaning and groaning continued, Carter took matters into his own hands, lifting up Sugarman’s bike and shoving him backwards. Sugarman alleges assault, and claims that the incident led to a herniated disc in his neck.

The jury, however, did not feel Sugarman’s pain. According to the New York Times, several jurors voiced sympathy for Carter’s reaction and were concerned about the credibility of Mr. Sugarman’s injuries. The closing arguments could not have been much more encouraging for Sugarman’s case. Prosecutor Brigid Harrington closed by reasserting to the jury that Sugarman did not “have it coming,” even though he might not be a person “you would want to hang out with regularly.”

Source: New York Times and WSJ Law Blog