ROBERT BLAKE - BLAKE TO APPEAL CIVIL VERDICT

LATEST: Actor ROBERT BLAKE is to appeal the wrongful-death verdict by a civil jury who awarded the family of his murdered wife millions of dollars in damages. The notice, filed on Monday (08MAY06), alleged juror misconduct in the court case last November (05) which saw the BARETTA star slapped with a GBP30 million (GBP17 million) bill to late wife BONNIE LEE BAKLEY's children. Blake's lawyer M GERALD SCHWARTZBACH, who saw his client acquitted of murder at a criminal trial earlier last year (05), claims details of the civil case were discussed before all the evidence was presented to the jury. He tells news agency Associated Press, "There's no question in my mind that Robert was denied a fair trial because of egregious juror misconduct and rulings by the trial. "I believe that once the court of appeals has the opportunity to look at the record, the judgment will be set aside." Bakley was found shot dead in the actor's car in May 2001, outside a Studio City, California, restaurant where the couple had just dined. Blake recently filed for bankruptcy, insisting his assets were depleted by the legal cases leaving him unable to pay back taxes or other debts.