That's not necessarily the end of the dispute, however.
The jury's answers to the 11 questions on the verdict sheet were "inconsistent," City Solicitor Shelley Smith said, and when verdict sheets have inconsistent answers, the potential exists that the verdict is flawed. We will be exploring our options."
In an unusual address to the jury, Buckwalter said he hopes the Council and the city can reach a final negotiated solution.
The Scouts are willing to negotiate and would like to end the nearly seven-year standoff, said Jason Gosselin, the lead attorney for the scouts.
"We want to sit down with the city and see if we can resolve this" permanently, Gosselin said.
Under the ordinance that leased the land to the Scouts, the city has the right to evict the Scouts without giving any reason at all - just not for an unconstitutional reason, both sides have agreed.
Asked if the city would take that step, Smith said "the verdict was just issued today, and we'll be considering all of our options."
The jury deliberated for about seven hours over two days and voted unanimously.
The jurors ruled in favor of the city on two points: the Scouts right to due process was not violated, and another First Amendment complaint by the scouts had no validity.
Jury foreman Merrill Arbogast, 40, a truck driver from Lancaster County, said jurors discussed each of the legal points.
"There was a lot of debate before we came to an agreement. . .we took each question and tried to break it down.
"On some things we believed the city, on others we believed the Scouts," he said.
The trial, which began June 14, was never about whether the Cradle of Liberty Council could discriminate. A landmark 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2000 said the Boy Scouts is a "membership organization" and can exclude gay youths and troop leaders.
