(a) On completion of a jury trial in a civil action and before the jury is discharged, the judge shall inform the jurors that they have an absolute right to discuss or not to discuss the deliberations or verdict with anyone except as provided in subsections (f) and (g). The judge shall also inform the jurors of the provisions set forth in subsections (b), (c), (d) and (e).
K.S.A. 60-272.Contact with jurors; discussion of deliberations or verdict following discharge; informing jurors; violations, contempt
Last amended July 1, 2018 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceK.S.A. 60-272 requires the judge to tell civil jurors, before discharge, about their absolute right to discuss or not discuss deliberations or the verdict, sets rules for how attorneys and parties may later contact a discharged juror, and makes unreasonable contact or any violation of the section punishable as contempt.
Full Text of K.S.A. 60-272
(b) Immediately following the discharge of the jury in a civil action, the defendant, or the defendant's attorney or representative, or the plaintiff, or the plaintiff's attorney or representative, may discuss the jury deliberations or verdict with a member of the jury only if the juror consents to the discussion.
(c) If a discussion of the jury deliberations or verdict with a member of the jury occurs at any time other than immediately following the discharge of the jury, prior to discussing the jury deliberations or verdict with a member of a jury, the defendant, or the defendant's attorney or representative, or the plaintiff, or the plaintiff's attorney or representative, shall inform the juror of the identity of the case, the party in the case that the person represents, the subject of the interview, the absolute right of the juror to discuss or not discuss the deliberations or verdict in the case with the person and the juror's right to review and have a copy of any declaration filed with the court.
(d) Any unreasonable contact with a juror by the defendant, or the defendant's attorney or representative, or by the plaintiff, or the plaintiff's attorney or representative, without the juror's consent shall be immediately reported to the trial court.
(e) Any violation of this section shall be considered a violation of a lawful court order and may be punished as contempt of court.
(f) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a law enforcement officer from discussing the deliberations or verdict with a member of the jury for the purpose of investigating an allegation of criminal conduct.
(g) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the court or a judge from discussing the deliberations or verdict with a member of the jury for any lawful purpose.
(h) This section shall be part of and supplemental to the code of civil procedure.
Amendment History
L. 2018, ch. 108, § 5; July 1.
Plain-English Summary
K.S.A. 60-272 governs what happens after a civil jury finishes its work. Before the jury is discharged, the judge must inform the jurors that they have an absolute right to discuss or not discuss the deliberations or the verdict with anyone, except as the section itself limits, and the judge must also explain the other protections the section sets out.
Immediately following discharge, a defendant or plaintiff, or that party's attorney or representative, may discuss the deliberations or verdict with a juror only if the juror consents. If the discussion happens at any other time -- not immediately following discharge -- the party or representative must first tell the juror the identity of the case, which party they represent, the subject of the interview, the juror's absolute right to discuss or not discuss the case, and the juror's right to review and get a copy of any declaration filed with the court about the contact.
Any unreasonable contact with a juror made without the juror's consent must be reported to the trial court immediately, and any violation of the section can be treated as contempt of court. The section carves out two exceptions: a law enforcement officer may discuss deliberations or the verdict with a juror while investigating an allegation of criminal conduct, and the court or a judge may discuss them with a juror for any lawful purpose. The section is supplemental to, and part of, the code of civil procedure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a Kansas judge tell jurors before discharging them in a civil case?
That they have an absolute right to discuss or not discuss the deliberations or verdict with anyone, subject to the limited exceptions in subsections (f) and (g), and the judge must also explain the protections in subsections (b) through (e).
Can an attorney talk to a juror right after the jury is discharged?
Yes, but only if the juror consents to the discussion. That consent requirement applies to the plaintiff, the defendant, and either side's attorney or representative.
What must I tell a juror if I want to discuss the verdict with them later, not immediately after discharge?
Subsection (c) requires disclosing the case's identity, which party you represent, the subject of the interview, the juror's absolute right to discuss or not discuss the case, and the juror's right to review and get a copy of any declaration filed with the court.
What happens if someone contacts a juror without consent in an unreasonable way?
Subsection (d) requires that contact to be reported to the trial court immediately, and subsection (e) makes any violation of the section punishable as contempt of court.
Are there any exceptions to the juror-contact restrictions?
Yes. A law enforcement officer may discuss deliberations or the verdict with a juror while investigating alleged criminal conduct, and a court or judge may discuss them with a juror for any lawful purpose.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from the
Kansas Statutes Annotated, enacted by the Kansas Legislature. Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: kansas contact with jurors after trial60-272 kansastalking to jurors after verdict kansasjuror deliberations discussion rule kansaskansas contempt juror contact