DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The attorneys for two men whose lawsuit against Council Bluffs and two former police officers for wrongful conviction ended in mistrial are asking permission from the judge to talk to jurors. A mistrial was declared Dec. 14 in the lawsuit Terry Harrington and Curtis McGhee filed after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict. The men sought millions of dollars claiming they deserved payment for spending 25 years in prison for a murder courts overturned based on misconduct of prosecutors.

Last week Harrington and McGhee’s attorneys asked Judge Robert Pratt to set aside rules prohibiting jury contact. The attorneys say it would be irresponsible to embark on a new trial without learning more about jurors’ impressions and deliberations. Attorneys for the city and the police officers say they don’t object.