After three hours meeting, a federal jury found Derrick Rose not liable for sexual battery and related civil offenses. Following the court ruling, Rose will return to Knicks and he will be able to play the first regular season.
A panel of jury of six women and two men only need three hours of convene to reject the plaintiff's accusation that Rose drugged and raped her, as reported by The New York Times. The jury found the evidence showing the woman consented to the sexual encounter occurred in 2013.
The case became a public attention when a woman who had been in relationship with Rose accused him and his two friends for breaking into her apartment then drugged and raped her. The woman, who remain annymous, filed a formal petition against Rose and his two friends, Randall Hampton and Ryan Allen in August seeking for $21 million in California Federal Court. The trial commenced before US District Judge Michael Fitzgerald since Oct. 4.
In her testimony the woman, 30, said that she was passed out in her bed. When she awoke, she found Rose, Allen and Hampton forced themselves in her. Rose denied the allegation and saying the sex was consentual. While his friends, Allen and Hampton also testified that she was fully sober during sex, corroborated with Rose's testimony.
After hearing the case, the jury deliberated and decided the woman could not prove whether she was intoxicated during sex, accordint to report by Los Angeles Times
"We couldn't make that determination. We couldn't have a definite that she wasn't or was," the juror said. "She could have done a number of things to prove that this happened and she took none of those steps to prove her case."
After declared not liable, Rose will soon come back to Knicks' training camp and continue preparing for regular season.
Watch Rose's lawyer spoke to the press about media bias on his clients case below;