KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – If Leotis Tate ever craved the rapt attention of a federal lawmaker about a grievance, the 51-year-old man had it Tuesday when U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill was among members of the jury hearing his QuikTrip slip-and-fall case.
Much to her astonishment but fulfilling a lifelong dream, the former prosecutor was chosen Monday to help decide Tate’s St. Louis County lawsuit accusing the convenience store giant of negligence.
McCaskill, a Democrat, had taken to Twitter during jury selection, never expecting she’d be picked for the civic duty that pockets each sitting juror $18 a day, plus mileage. McCaskill whiled away the time tweeting about the television shows prospective jurors were watching, her outfit – dark, casual slacks and a gray cardigan – and that she brought salad and hard-boiled eggs for lunch. Being on a jury, she gushed, was on her bucket list.
Hours later, to her amazement, the wish was granted.
“HOLY X@#(asterisk)!” the two-term senator tweeted. “I am on the jury.”