Man Behind Travolta Mistrial Ordered to Court

Picewell Forbes will explain why he shouldn't be held in contempt tomorrow morning after announcing the acquittal of an alleged extortionist before verdict was formally reached

It's safe to say Picewell Forbes has some serious 'splaining to do.

The man effectively responsible for screwing John Travolta and Kelly Preston out of a verdict in their monthlong $25 million extortion trial has been ordered to appear in Nassau court tomorrow morning to explain how—and just as importantly why—he managed to announce the acquittal of one of the alleged extortionists before a verdict had even been reached.

Not to mention offer up his best excuses for why he shouldn't be held in contempt of court.

Picewell Forbes, an MP with Bahamas' Progressive Liberal Party—the same party, incidentally, that defendant and former senator Pleasant Bridgewater is a member of—impulsively announced during a political convention last night that Bridgewater was "a free woman."

Problem was, she wasn't. Though even if she was about to be, the only people who should've known that were sequestered in a jury deliberation room.

Reeking, as it did, of juror misconduct, a mistrial was declared, the PLP party offered a lightning-quick apology and the Travoltas were a lot more gracious than they needed to be about the whole thing.

For his part, Forbes has yet to publicly comment on his preemptive announcement, but his attorney previously claimed he was simply caught up in the moment, repeating a rumor he had heard on the convention floor.