*Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen was blasted by a Miami judge this week after he failed to show up to jury duty.
Allen, 46, was ordered to pay a fine for his no-show, New York Post reports. He was selected as one of 14 permanent and alternate jurors in a deadly carjacking case.
The trial was scheduled to begin on March 14 but was postponed by a day per Allen’s request as he had to attend Kevin Garnett’s jersey retirement ceremony in Boston, according to the Miami Herald. U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke issued a show-cause order after Allen failed to show up.
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“Through his actions in failing to appear for jury duty, Mr. Allen appears to not appreciate or understand the importance of jury service. The right to a trial by jury is sacrosanct,” Cooke wrote in the order, as reported by Larry Brown Sports. “However, the right to trial by jury can only be preserved if those who are chosen to serve on a jury actually fulfill their obligation to serve.”
Allen’s attorney said his client’s absence “was a complete misunderstanding.” But Cooke wasn’t having it, telling Allen “no man or woman is above performing that civic duty.”
She ordered Allen to pay $1,000 to the charity of his choice.
Allen, who coaches the boys’ basketball team at Miami’s Gulliver Prep, said he intends to donate to diabetes research.
The trial he was expected to serve on the jury for ended on Tuesday with a South Florida man being found guilty of fatally shooting another man during a carjacking, per the report.
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