SANTA ANA, CALIF. ? A jury on Friday ruled against a Southern California woman who claimed she was coerced into having repeated sexual encounters with a former Los Angeles judge presiding over the criminal trial of herself and her husband.

The woman, Pifen Lo, sought up to $20 million from the state of California for infliction of emotional distress $1 million for each time she said she was forced to have sex with former Superior Court Judge George W. Trammell III. But the Santa Ana jury of six men and six women concluded that their relationship was consensual.

“They were both being used,” said juror William Price. “She had her reasons for doing this.”

Jurors said they were most swayed by audio tapes that both Lo and Trammell secretly recorded during their encounters. In the tapes, jurors said, Lo sounded aggressive and appeared to be trying to take advantage of the judge in an effort to win leniency for herself and her husband. While Lo’s lawyer characterized the judge as a rapist, jurors said he came off as more sympathetic and that Lo was frequently heard laughing during encounters.

“She was not credible,” said juror Connie Cura.

The relationship between Lo, 42, and Trammell, 66, began in 1996, shortly after authorities arrested Lo, her husband, and their live-in baby-sitter on charges of kidnapping a couple for ransom. Lo’s husband, Ming Ching Jin, faced a potential life sentence in Trammell’s courtroom.

Lo claimed that the judge had called her into his chambers, fondled and kissed her and told her that if she wanted her husband to come home early, she would have to “pay the price.” Lo claimed she was forced into a four-month affair.

Lo herself was sentenced to five years probation by Trammell, over the objections of prosecutors who had sought prison time. She pleaded no contest to charges of child endangerment, counterfeiting and money-laundering.

Trammell pleaded guilty Oct. 4, 2000, to federal mail fraud charges related to his conduct while presiding over the criminal trial of Lo and her husband. He began serving a 27-month prison term in Texas, last August.