AFAIK, you need a verdict for a JNOV to obtain.
I believe this is a directed verdict.
Jury will presumably be dismissed before rendering a verdict
“I believe this is a directed verdict.”
I thought the article indicate the judge was going to wait for the jury verdict. In that case, it would be JNOV.
But announcing his intention to do so before the verdict is just bizarre. So it may be that the press has misunderstood the difference between the two.