Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_15-cv-00768/USCOURTS-caed-1_15-cv-00768-16/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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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

LAKEITH L. MCCOY,

Plaintiff,

v.

A. HOLGUIN, et al.,

Defendants.

Case No. 1:15-cv-00768-DAD-JDP

ORDER SETTING TELEPHONIC TRIAL 

CONFIRMATION HEARING

ORDER SETTING JURY TRIAL

I. TELEPHONIC TRIAL CONFIRMATION HEARING

A telephonic trial confirmation hearing is set for December 2, 2019, at 1:30 p.m., in 

Courtroom 5, before District Judge Dale A. Drozd. To participate telephonically, the parties 

must dial into the conference at 877-402-9757, using access code 6966236, at the time of the 

hearing. Counsel for Defendant(s) is required to arrange for the participation of plaintiff in the 

telephonic trial confirmation hearing. Because the court may be hearing other matters using the 

same conference line, please wait to state your appearance until your case has been called and 

appearances are requested. Keep all background noise to a minimum.

In addition to the matters already required to be addressed in the pretrial statement in 

accordance with Local Rule 281, plaintiff will be required to make a particularized showing to 

obtain the attendance of witnesses. The procedures and requirements for making such a showing 

are outlined in detail below. Plaintiff is advised that failure to comply with the procedures set 

forth below may result in the preclusion of any or all witnesses named in plaintiff’s pretrial 

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statement. 

At the trial of this case, 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 plaintiff’s responsibility to 

produce all of the evidence to prove plaintiff’s case, whether that evidence is in the form of 

exhibits or witness testimony. If plaintiff wants to call witnesses to testify, plaintiff must follow 

certain procedures to ensure that the witnesses will be at the trial and available to testify.

1. 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: (a) the prospective witness is willing to attend; and (b) the prospective witness has actual 

knowledge of relevant facts.

A party intending to introduce the testimony of incarcerated witnesses who have agreed 

to attend the trial voluntarily 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, 

address, and prison identification number of each such witness; and (2) be accompanied by 

declarations showing that each witness is willing to testify and that each witness has actual 

knowledge of relevant facts. The motion should be entitled “motion for attendance of 

incarcerated witnesses.”

The willingness of the prospective witness can be shown in one of two ways: (1) the 

party him or herself can swear by declaration under penalty of perjury that the prospective 

witness has informed the party that he or she is willing to testify voluntarily without being 

subpoenaed, in which declaration the party must state when and where the prospective witness 

informed the party of this willingness; or (2) the party can serve and file a declaration, signed 

under penalty of perjury by the prospective witness, in which the witness states that he or she is 

willing to testify without being subpoenaed.

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

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ways: (1) if the party has actual firsthand knowledge that the prospective witness was an 

eyewitness or an ear-witness to the relevant facts (e.g., if an incident occurred in plaintiff’s cell 

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

swear to the cellmate’s ability to testify), the party can swear by declaration under penalty of 

perjury that the prospective witness has actual knowledge; or (2) the party can serve and file a 

declaration signed under penalty of perjury 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 declaration is made by the party or by the prospective witness, it must be specific 

about the incident, 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.

2. 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 serve and file a written motion for a court order 

requiring that such witnesses be brought to court at the time of trial. 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.

The court will review and rule on the motion(s) for attendance of incarcerated witnesses, 

specifying which prospective witnesses must be brought to court. Subsequently, the court will 

issue the writs necessary to cause the witnesses’ custodian(s) to bring the witnesses to court. 

Motion(s) for the attendance of incarcerated witnesses, if any, must be filed on or before 

October 1, 2019. Oppositions, if any, must be filed on or before November 1, 2019. 

3. 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.

4. 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, the witness must be served with a subpoena. Fed. R. Civ. P. 45. In addition, the 

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party seeking the witness’s presence must tender an appropriate sum of money for the witness. 

Id. 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. 28 U.S.C. § 1821. 

If plaintiff wishes to obtain the attendance of one or more unincarcerated witnesses who 

refuse to testify voluntarily, plaintiff must first notify the court in writing of the name and 

location of each unincarcerated witness. The court will calculate the travel expense for each 

unincarcerated witness and notify plaintiff of the amount(s). Plaintiff must then, for each 

witness, submit 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. The subpoena will not be served upon the 

unincarcerated witness by the United States Marshals Service unless the money order is tendered 

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

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

leave to proceed in forma pauperis.

If plaintiff wishes to have the Marshals Service serve any unincarcerated witnesses who 

refuse to testify voluntarily, plaintiff must submit the money orders to the court no later than 

November 1, 2019. In order to ensure timely submission of the money orders, plaintiff must 

notify the court of the names and locations of his witnesses, in compliance with step 4 above, no 

later than October 1, 2019. 

Plaintiff shall file and serve a pretrial statement as described in this order on or before 

October 1, 2019. Defendant(s) shall file and serve a pretrial statement as described in this order 

on or before November 1, 2019.

The parties are advised that failure to file pretrial statements as required by this order 

may result in the imposition of appropriate sanctions, which may include dismissal of the action 

or entry of default.

The clerk of court is DIRECTED to send plaintiff a copy of Local Rule 281(b). 

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II. TRIAL DATE

A trial is set for January 14, 2020, at 8:30 a.m., in Courtroom 5, before 

District Judge Dale A. Drozd. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: August 15, 2018 

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

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