How not to avoid jury duty

Here's another story from Minnesota Lawyer's How Not to Avoid Jury Duty file.

An Internet-based company called The Excused Absence Network is peddling $25 jury duty excuse notes that appear to come from doctors or hospitals.

I doubt it's legal, it's definitely not ethical, and it probably doesn't work anyway. Yet the company's owners say they're just helping people do something they would have done anyway.

"Millions of Americans work dead-end jobs, and sometimes they just need a day off," says John Liddell, co-founder of the company. "People are going to lie anyway. How many people go visit their doctors every day when they're not sick because they just need a note?"

The website has been down this morning, but according to the Associated Press, a disclaimer on the site says the notes are "for entertainment purposes only."

Then again, the site also shows pictures of people sunbathing and playing golf after using the fabricated excuses. One testimonial reads: "I've managed to take the nine weeks off using these templates! It couldn't be any easier!"

I can't help but wonder: Is it easier for you to print a fake jury duty excuse, or for a judge to throw you in jail for contempt?

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[Source: Minnesota Lawyer Blog]