Ryan O’Neal got a last minute boost from Jaclyn Smith’s testimony and the jury sided with him:
O’Neal, who underwent minor surgery Thursday to remove a skin cancer lesion, was not in court when the jury returned the verdict at 3:25 p.m. PT. But his lawyer, Marty Singer, said his client was elated that he did not have to hand the portrait over to the University of Texas at Austin. The university had claimed that Fawcett left it the portrait in her will.
The jury reached its verdict shortly after having O’Neal’s testimony read to them again. He testified Warhol gave him one portrait and Fawcett another in 1980. The verdict indicated that nearly all of the jurors found his testimony credible.
The decision was not unanimous. But O’Neal needed to convince just nine of the 12 jurors to prevail.
Ryan O’Neal can keep Farrah Fawcett portrait, jury says (CNN)
