Rule 1.928 Discharge; retrial

If a jury can't finish its job, the judge has the power to let them go. This can happen if something unexpected occurs, like an accident or emergency. It can also happen if both sides agree to end the trial early, or if a change to the case means the trial needs to be paused. Another common reason is when the jury simply can't reach a decision after trying hard to agree.

When any of these things happen, the case doesn't just disappear. The judge decides what happens next. The case can be tried again right away, or the judge can schedule it for a later date. Either way, the goal is to still reach a fair outcome, even though the first trial didn't finish the way everyone hoped.