Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_08-cv-01196/USCOURTS-caed-2_08-cv-01196-3/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 550
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Civil Rights (U.S. defendant)
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

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 HONORABLE RICHARD A. JONES 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

ROBERT MITCHELL, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

T. FELKER, et al., 

Defendants. 

CASE NO. C08-1196RAJ 

ORDER SETTING PRETRIAL 

AND DISCOVERY SCHEDULE 

Defendants have answered the complaint. Pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil 

Procedure 1, 16, and 26-36, discovery shall proceed in accordance with paragraphs 1-5 of 

this order. In addition, the court will set a schedule for this litigation. 

Should this matter proceed to trial the court will, by subsequent order, require the 

parties to file pretrial statements. In addition to the matters required to be addressed in 

the pretrial statement in accordance with Local Rule 16-281, plaintiff will be required to 

make a particularized showing in the pretrial statement in order to obtain the attendance 

of witnesses at trial. Plaintiff is advised that failure to comply with the procedures set 

forth below may result in the preclusion of any and all witnesses named in the pretrial 

statement. 

At the trial of this case, the plaintiff must be prepared to introduce evidence to 

prove each of the alleged facts that support the claims raised in the lawsuit. In general, 

there are two kinds of trial evidence: (1) exhibits and (2) the testimony of witnesses. It is 

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the plaintiff’s responsibility to produce all of the evidence to prove the claims, whether 

that evidence is in the form of exhibits or witness testimony. If the plaintiff wants to call 

witnesses to testify, he must follow certain procedures to ensure that the witnesses will be 

at the trial and available to testify. Although no party can use these procedures until the 

court sets a trial date and authorizes motions related to the attendance of witnesses at 

trial, the court describes those procedures in this order so that the parties can prepare 

accordingly. At the conclusion of this order, the court will set several case management 

dates, including deadlines for discovery and for certain kinds of motions. 

I. Procedures for Obtaining Attendance of Incarcerated Witnesses Who Agree 

to Testify Voluntarily 

An incarcerated witness who agrees voluntarily to attend trial to give testimony 

cannot come to court unless this court orders the warden or other custodian to permit the 

witness to be transported to court. This court will not issue such an order unless it is 

satisfied that: 

1. The prospective witness is willing to attend; 

 and 

2. The prospective witness has actual knowledge of relevant facts. 

With the pretrial statement, a party intending to introduce the testimony of 

incarcerated witnesses who have agreed voluntarily to attend the trial must serve and file 

a written motion for a court order requiring that such witnesses be brought to court at the 

time of trial. The motion must: 

1. State the name, CDC Identification number, and address of each such witness; 

 and 

2. Be accompanied by affidavits showing that each witness is willing to testify 

and that each witness has actual knowledge of relevant facts. 

The willingness of the prospective witness can be shown in one of two ways: 

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1. The party can swear by affidavit that the prospective witness has informed the 

party that he is willing to testify voluntarily without being subpoenaed. The party 

must state in the affidavit when and where the prospective witness informed the 

party of this willingness; or 

2. The party can serve and file an affidavit sworn to by the prospective witness, in 

which the witness states that he or she is willing to testify without being 

subpoenaed. 

The prospective witness’ actual knowledge of relevant facts can be shown in one 

of two ways: 

1. The party can swear by affidavit that the prospective witness has actual 

knowledge. However, this can be done only if the party has actual firsthand 

knowledge that the prospective witness was an eyewitness or an ear-witness to the 

relevant facts. For example, if an incident occurred in the plaintiff's cell and, at 

the time, the plaintiff saw that a cellmate was present and observed the incident, 

the plaintiff may swear to the cellmate’s ability to testify. 

 Or 

2. The party can serve and file an affidavit sworn to by the prospective witness in 

which the witness describes the relevant facts to which the prospective witness 

was an eye- or ear-witness. Whether the affidavit is made by the plaintiff or by 

the prospective witness, it must be specific about what the incident was, when and 

where it occurred, who was present, and how the prospective witness happened to 

be in a position to see or to hear what occurred at the time it occurred. 

The court will review and rule on the motion for attendance of incarcerated 

witnesses, specifying which prospective witnesses must be brought to court. 

Subsequently, the court will issue the order necessary to cause the witness’s custodian to 

bring the witness to court. 

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II. Procedures for Obtaining Attendance of Incarcerated Witnesses Who Refuse 

to Testify Voluntarily 

If a party seeks to obtain the attendance of incarcerated witnesses who refuse to 

testify voluntarily, the party should submit with his pretrial statement a motion for the 

attendance of such witnesses. Such motion should be in the form described above. In 

addition, the party must indicate in the motion that the incarcerated witnesses are not 

willing to testify voluntarily. 

III. Procedures for Obtaining Attendance of Unincarcerated Witnesses Who 

Agree to Testify Voluntarily 

It is the responsibility of the party who has secured an unincarcerated witness’s 

voluntary attendance to notify the witness of the time and date of trial. No action need be 

sought or obtained from the court. 

IV. Procedures for Obtaining Attendance of Unincarcerated Witnesses Who 

Refuse to Testify Voluntarily 

If a prospective witness is not incarcerated, and he or she refuses to testify 

voluntarily, not earlier than four weeks and not later than two weeks before trial, the 

party must prepare and submit to the United States Marshal a subpoena for service by the 

Marshal upon the witness. (Blank subpoena forms may be obtained from the Clerk of the 

Court.) Also, the party seeking the witness' presence must tender an appropriate sum of 

money to the witness through the United States Marshal. In the case of an unincarcerated 

witness, the appropriate sum of money is the daily witness fee of $40.00 plus the 

witness’s travel expenses. 

A subpoena will not be served by the United States Marshal upon an 

unincarcerated witness unless the subpoena is accompanied by a money order made 

payable to the witness for the full amount of the witness’s travel expenses plus the daily 

witness fee of $40.00, and a copy of the court’s order granting plaintiff in forma pauperis 

status. Because no statute authorizes the use of public funds for these expenses in civil 

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cases, the tendering of witness fees and travel expenses is required even if the party was 

granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis. 

Good cause appearing, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that: 

1. Discovery requests shall be served by the party seeking the discovery on all 

parties to the action. Discovery requests shall not be filed with the court except when 

required by Local Rules 30-250(a), 33-250(c), 34-250(c) and 36-250(c); 

2. Responses to written discovery requests shall be due forty-five days after the 

request is served; 

3. The parties are cautioned that filing of discovery requests or responses, except 

as required by rule of court, may result in an order of sanctions, including, but not limited 

to, a recommendation that the action be dismissed or the answer stricken; 

4. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 30(a), defendants may depose 

plaintiff and any other witness confined in a prison upon condition that, at least fourteen 

days before such a deposition, defendants serve all parties with the notice required by 

Fed. R. Civ. P. 30(b)(1); and 

5. If disputes arise about the parties’ obligations to respond to requests for 

discovery, the parties shall comply with all pertinent rules including Rules 5, 7, 11, 26, 

and 37 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Rules 5-134, 5-135, 6-136, 7-130, 7-

131, 11-110, 43-142, and 78-230(m) of the Local Rules of Practice for the United States 

District Court, Eastern District of California; unless otherwise ordered, Local Rule 37-

251 shall not apply. Filing of a discovery motion that does not comply with all 

applicable rules may result in imposition of sanctions, including but not limited to denial 

of the motion. 

6. The parties may conduct discovery until March 31, 2010. Any motions 

necessary to compel discovery shall be filed by that date. All requests for discovery 

pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 31, 33, 34 or 36 shall be served not later than sixty days prior 

to that date. 

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7. All pretrial motions, except motions to compel discovery, shall be filed on or 

before June 30, 2010. Motions shall be briefed in accordance with paragraph 7 of this 

court’s order entered August 13, 2009. 

8. The deadline for motions regarding the attendance of witnesses at trial as 

described in parts I and II of this order, as well as dates for the pretrial conference and 

trial dates will be set, as appropriate, following adjudication of any dispositive motion, or 

the expiration of time for filing such a motion if no dispositive motions are filed. 

DATED this 10th day of November, 2009. 

AThe Honorable Richard A. Jones 

United States District Judge

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