Dwayne Hull did his best to wiggle out of jury duty.
Owner of a small business, he pleaded with the judge, making the case he couldn’t afford to stop working.
But Clayton County State Judge Morris E. Braswell tossed out the excuse, explaining what we all know but don’t always embrace: Serving on a jury is our civic duty.
Little did he know the judge was doing him a big favor.
The case didn’t just take three weeks out of his life. It gave him the love of his life.
It wasn’t love at first deliberation and the relationship didn’t develop until well after the case was decided. But over time, Hull and Maria Mullen — two people who were sworn to deliver a verdict in a case, pledged their love to each other. Last Saturday, these two jurors became Mr. and Mrs. Hull.
The late 2009 trial was a somber case involving a car crash and catastrophic injuries.
During the trial, Mullen, 41, and Hull, 47, spoke only briefly. Once they hurried to a fast food restaurant together on break to get a quick lunch. Mullen thought Hull was too serious, too intense. Meanwhile, Hull assumed the woman with an easy smile was too laid back.
Still, they managed to leave good impressions. Mullen liked how Hull moderated the discussion, and helped keep the deliberations from getting overheated.
“I remember thinking nice guy, but not my type,’” said Mullen.
Hull was struck by Mullen’s pretty face and her fervent note-taking. (She filled up three notebooks during the trial). He also liked Mullen’s sweet personality and how she seemed to get along with everyone.
They both started each deliberation with a prayer.
Judge Braswell noticed other similarities — two jurors always on time, always attentive.
Hull and Mullen stayed focused on the legal task at hand.
“We were there to do a job,” said Mullen, who was also dating at the time of the trial. “There was no cupid arrow during the trial or anything like that.”
They reviewed extensive engineering documents and crash testing. They listened intently to expert testimony about the trial, which involved a Jonesboro woman who suffered a severe spinal cord injury in an accident on Christmas morning 2005. Their jury found Ford Motor Co. responsible for defects occupant protection system and awarded a $17.7 million verdict against the company and the driver of the car.
After the trial ended, jurors exchanged phone numbers. A month later, Hull called and the two chatted for a few minutes about the intense trial.
Neither was eager to begin a serious relationship. Both had been married before. Mullen has two daughters, ages 22 and 12. Hull has a grown daughter.
Months later, in June of last year, they spoke again on the phone and made plans for lunch and a walk in the park.
That was followed by a text from Hull on the following morning suggesting breakfast. They met for pancakes and the rest, as they say, is history.
“I learned that initial tough exterior you see, that doesn’t match his heart. And he’s got the biggest heart,” said Mullen. “And I saw more of his personality and I saw somebody who may be the opposite of me could actually work.”
Her wooed her with kind gestures. He didn’t just give her a musical card and balloons for her birthday, but he also made her a homemade card, too.
“It’s something your child might do,” she said. “It’s the sweetest thing. He takes the time to color the picture, to draw the faces. It’s so simple yet so beautiful.”
Hull loved Mullen’s fun personality and spontaneity. He loved her enthusiasm to try new things, including watching college football games for the first time.
“We were watching an Auburn-Alabama game and she was jumping on the couch,” he said.
After getting engaged, the couple visited Judge Braswell to hand deliver their wedding invitation.
“I was there when they met,” said Braswell who attended the couple’s recent nuptials. “And that is pretty special. And when you see them look at each other, you can tell there is something really there. . . It’s like a movie. Moments like these are too few and far between. So when things like this happen, they have a special significance. Something good doesn’t always come out every trial. But something good sure did come out of this one.”
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