Jury Selection Kicks Off Trial

The case of the Oakland Raiders vs. the NFL began Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court with prospective jurors gasping--not at the complicated issues in the case, about which they have yet to learn, but about the time the case is now projected to take.

Jurors raised eyebrows and whistled in amazement when they learned that estimates for the trial now run to 45 days. If that figure holds, and legal estimates about long trials are notorious for being well short, the case would run through mid-May.

Almost three dozen of 106 jurors were excused Wednesday because it would be a hardship to serve for so long. Some clearly knew they would be missing out on considerable intrigue. One woman, excused by Judge Richard C. Hubbell because she was planning a family trip to New Mexico in April, said loudly enough to be heard upon her departure from the courtroom, “I wish I were staying.”

The case revolves around the team’s allegation that the NFL undermined a 1995 proposal that would have seen the Raiders move to a privately financed stadium in Hollywood Park. The Raiders say that left owner Al Davis with no option but to leave Los Angeles--where the team had been since 1982--and return to Oakland, the Raiders’ original home. Also at issue is the Raiders’ claim that, though back in Oakland, they still “own” the Los Angeles market for NFL football.

The Raiders are seeking damages of $1 billion, perhaps more.

The NFL denies any wrongdoing. The league says that it did not torpedo the Hollywood Park deal, that Oakland gave Davis a deal to move back he simply chose to accept and that the NFL owns the L.A. market.

In court Wednesday, Hubbell ordered copies of a lengthy screening questionnaire distributed to jurors. Copies were not immediately made available to the press. Hubbell ordered jurors to return to court Monday. Opening statements are likely to begin later next week.