Possible Spector juror is e-mailed

A freelance journalist affiliated with the Los Angeles Times contacted a person believed to be a juror in the Phil Spector murder trial, the newspaper said Friday.

In a letter to the judge, a lawyer representing The Times said the writer for the newspaper’s Calendar section asked New Line Cinema to identify a company executive who is on the jury.

The executive subsequently exchanged e-mails with the reporter, who had suggested to editors a story on the impact of jury service on the movie studio “during the highly competitive summer blockbuster season,” according to the letter signed by lawyer Alonzo Wickers IV.

The journalist was told not to renew the communication, and the letter says The Times “regrets that these communications occurred.”

The letter is marked for delivery “via messenger” and dated Friday. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler, who is allowing the entire trial to be televised, could not be reached.

“I don’t know enough now to know whether the reporter’s actions violate any ethical guidelines or not, but we certainly felt it was important to notify the court so that the judge could make whatever decision he feels is appropriate,” said Douglas Frantz, managing editor.

A spokesman for Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said his office would study the letter and address it in court Monday.

Defense lawyer Roger Rosen said the contacts could pose problems, although he commended the paper for “bringing it to both sides’ attention as quickly as possible.”

“Although from the tenor of the letter it seems benign, things are never benign in a case like this,” Rosen said, adding that he would discuss the matter Monday in court.

Fidler cautions jurors daily not to discuss the trial with anyone. Rosen said jurors are instructed to inform the court if any person approaches them.

Asked if any juror had reported such contacts, Rosen said that as of Friday afternoon, he was unaware that any had done so.

Journalists generally refrain from contacting jurors while they serve, and jurors are sternly warned to avoid news reports surrounding the case they hear.

The rules are designed to ensure that jurors make decisions about a case based only on what they hear under oath in the courtroom -- while at the same time maintaining public access to courts.

The Times’ letter referred only to “an individual believed to be a juror,” because the court’s concern for juror anonymity means that “neither The Times nor the freelancer knows whether the executive is a juror.”

Fidler had been praised for allowing the trial to be shown on TV, the first time a high-profile trial has been televised locally in its entirety since that of O.J. Simpson.