Andersen jurors slept during trial

Two jury members who convicted Arthur Andersen of obstructing justice fell asleep during the first two weeks of the trial, according to a fellow juror.

Jack Gallo wrote a note intended for judge Melinda Harmon complaining that two of the other jurors had been dozing off during court proceedings.

Mr Gallo handed the note to a US marshal but was advised it was not written on the proper form and that Ms Harmon was already aware of the problem.

Mr Gallo said he was satisfied the judge had addressed the problem when the sleepers remained awake for the rest of the trial.

Ready to appeal

The jury heard evidence for nearly five weeks and deliberated for 10 days before returning a guilty verdict.

During the deliberations, a note was sent to the judge saying jury members had been unable to reach an agreement.

After advice from Ms Harmon, the jurors concluded that Andersen was guilty of destroying evidence by shredding key documents even though they failed to agree on who exactly was responsible.

The verdict is likely to be the final nail in the coffin for the 89-year old company, once one of the world's top five accountants.

The company called the verdict "wrong" and is contemplating an appeal, but has already promised to stop auditing publicly traded companies - pre-empting an official ban that is now a near certainty.