2 In Texaco Case Found Not Guilty
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Two former executives of Texaco Inc. who had been taped discussing the destruction of documents demanded in a racial-discrimination lawsuit against the company were found not guilty yesterday on charges they had tried to obstruct justice. Lawyers for Richard Lundwall, the man who secretly recorded the meetings, and Robert Ulrich, the former treasurer of the big oil company, said the acquittals vindicated their argument that the two had done nothing illegal. But the verdict by the jury of eight men and four women in a Federal court in White Plains stunned and angered civil rights leaders, who said it was based on technicalities and sent a disturbing message about permissible behavior by corporate officers. The jury foreman, Julius Sas, said in a telephone interview last night that the jury, which included one black woman, was initially split. But over four days, they decided that for several reasons, including the fact that gaps in the tapes created the possibility that comments could have been taken out of context, ”there was just too much doubt in our minds.” More : query.nytimes.com |