A Santa Cruz Superior Court jury failed to reach a verdict in Watsonville City Councilmember Jimmy Dutra’s civil sex-abuse case on Monday, its second day of deliberation. The jury deliberated for about three hours on Friday and about another seven on Monday.
Testimony in the trial often delved into Watsonville politics and city government, the tumultuous relationship between Dutra and his late father’s partner, Susie McBride, and plaintiff Stephen Siefke’s relationship with McBride and his own family and friends.
Siefke is seeking over $10 million in damages to cover “past and future economic and noneconomic damages.”
Jurors will return at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to continue deliberation.
