On Thursday morning in California, after less than two days of deliberations, jurors in a San Francisco courtroom told the judge they had found unanimous verdict.
21 minutes later, British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch was ready to learn his fate.
As the jury read out their decision, it became clear that Lynch, once considered one of Britain's most successful entrepreneurs in the technology, won a stunning victory.
The founder of software company Autonomy and his co-defendant Stephen Chamberlain were found not guilty of 15 counts of wire fraud and conspiracy over the £7 billion sale of the company to Hewlett Packard in 2011.
This victory vindicates Lynch's decision to fight the charges. The 58-year-old made £500m from the sale of Autonomy and was better prepared to challenge the American legal machine than most defendants, having hired some of America's leading lawyers.
But even so, his victory was considered unlikely.
Only 0.4% of US federal defendants are acquitted in court, and the vast majority – 90% – plead guilty. Such is the strength of the American justice system.
For Lynch, however, fighting was the only option. The 58-year-old Cambridge PhD graduate spent 12 years trying to clear his name and six years fighting the US justice system.
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