Laura A. Newman, LLC v. Roberts

Summary

The court held that an erroneous denial of a civil litigant’s challenge for cause, which forces use of a peremptory challenge, does not automatically require reversal and a new trial. Instead, the reviewing court must apply the civil harmless-error rule and determine whether the error substantially influenced the case’s outcome or impaired the basic fairness of the trial. The court therefore reversed the court of appeals and remanded for that determination.