Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_04-cv-00082/USCOURTS-cand-5_04-cv-00082-9/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Civil Rights Act

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SAN JOSE DIVISION

Deniz Bolbol, et al.,

Plaintiffs,

 v.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum and 

Bailey Circus, et al.,

Defendants.

 /

No. C04-00082 JW

FINAL PRETRIAL

CONFERENCE ORDER 

On January 3, 2006, the Court conducted a final pretrial conference, pursuant to which the Court

issues the following order:

A. Trial Schedule

1. The trial schedule will be as follows:

a) Jury selection shall begin on January 10, 2006 from 9 am - 12 pm. The first

session shall begin on the same day from 1 - 4 pm.

b) The trial shall continue on January 11, 2006 from 8 am - 1 pm; January 12, 2006

from 9 am - 12 pm and 1 pm - 4 pm; January 13, 2006 from 8 am - 1 pm; January

17 - 19, 2006 from 9 am - 12 pm and 1 pm - 4 pm.

c) The parties shall argue and submit on January 20, 2006 from 8 am - 1 pm. Jury

deliberations shall begin that afternoon.

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United States District Court

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B. Jury Selection

2. The entire panel will be sworn. The Court will inform the panel of the nature and duration of the

case and ask any panel member to identify himself or herself if, due to the nature or duration of the case or

any physical or personal problem, service would impose an extreme hardship. The Court will examine

panel members claiming hardship and issue appropriate excuses.

3. The Clerk will call the names of all prospective jurors. Fourteen jurors will be seated in the jury

box, and the others will be seated in the courtroom in the order in which their names are called.

4. The Court will conduct voir dire of the prospective jurors, including any Court-approved

questions which have been previously submitted by counsel.

5. After the Court has completed voir dire, counsel shall ask for permission to approach the bench

to inform the Court if counsel wish to challenge a particular juror or jurors for cause. If counsel wish to

challenge for cause, the Court will determine a procedure for hearing the challenge. If parties do not

indicate a desire to make legal challenges, the jury panel is deemed passed for cause, and the parties will be

allowed to exercise any peremptory challenges.

6. Parties are required to responsively indicate any peremptory challenges. In multiple party cases,

counsel are directed to elect and designate one of their number as "lead" counsel for the purpose of

exercising joint challenges. The first 8 prospective jurors remaining after exercise of challenges shall be

seated as jurors. Eight (8) jurors will be chosen pursuant to Rule 48, Fed.R.Civ.P. Each side (individually

or jointly) will be allowed six (6) peremptory challenges. The Plaintiffs will be allowed six (6) peremptory

challenges. The Defendants will be allowed four (4) joint and one (1) individual challenges for each

Defendant for a total of six (6).

7. Before the remaining panel is excused, the Court will ask counsel if there is any legal cause why

the panel should not be sworn as the jury for the case. If a party should indicate a desire to state legal

cause, the Court will determine a time and procedure for ruling on those objections. Any objections not

stated are deemed waived.

C. Exhibits

8. On the day before the first day of trial, each party shall lodge with Chambers an exhibit binder

for each witness, which shall contain all exhibits which the party contemplates offering into evidence through

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the witness. Any party objecting to an exhibit shall insert a page in front of the exhibit which identifies the

party making the objection and the legal ground for the objection. Although an exhibit to which an

objection has been made may be shown to the witness, it shall not be displayed to the trier of fact unless the

objection is overruled and the exhibit is received into evidence.

9. If the case involves only a few exhibits, instead of witness exhibit binders, the parties may

include all exhibits in a single notebook.

10. Unless otherwise ordered, all exhibits shall be in a format compatible with either the video or

digital evidence presentation system utilized by the Court for display after it is received into evidence.

11. The parties are encouraged to stipulate to the admission into evidence of all exhibits. If the

parties stipulate to admissibility, the parties shall indicate, "I am going to show you Exhibit __, which is in

evidence by stipulation." The exhibit may be shown to the witness and the trier of fact without being

formally offered into evidence. 

12. The proffering party shall retain custody of all exhibits, schedules, summaries, diagrams or

charts to be used at the trial. 

D. Trial Procedure

13. In opening statements and in arguments to the jury, counsel shall not express personal

knowledge or opinion concerning any matter in issue; and shall not suggest to the jury directly or indirectly,

that it may or should request transcripts or the reading of any testimony by the reporter.

14. Counsel must question witnesses from the podium, using the microphone. Without requesting

permission, counsel may approach witnesses for any proper purposes.

15. Address all remarks to the Court, not to opposing counsel.

16. Refer to all persons, including witnesses, other counsel and the parties by their surnames and

not by their first or given names.

17. No demonstrative exhibits, charts, diagrams or enlargements shall be placed within sight of the

jury unless previously disclosed to opposing counsel.

18. In examining a witness, counsel shall not repeat or echo the answer given by the witness.

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19. Counsel must stand when making an objection. Arguments on points of law or evidentiary

matters shall be made out of the presence of the jury. Thus, when objections or responses to objections

are made, only the legal basis of the objections and responses may be stated.

20. Offers of, or requests for, a stipulation should be made privately, not within the hearing of the

jury.

21. Conferences at the bench or sidebar are not favored by the Court. Counsel are responsible

for bringing any matters which require hearing out of the presence of the jury to the attention of the Court

during a time when the jury is not in session. Any sidebar conferences which are allowed will be off the

record. If any counsel wishes to place matters on the record, he or she may so request, and the Court will

make a responsive order.

22. Counsel have full responsibility to arrange for the appearance of witnesses during the

presentation of their case so as to eliminate delay caused by waiting for witnesses who have been placed on

call by counsel.

23. Unless an agreement to the contrary is entered into by opposing counsel, all nonparty or

nonexpert witnesses will be excluded from the courtroom when not testifying. When a witness has

completed his or her testimony, the witness is excused unless counsel indicates that he or she wishes the

witness to remain subject to being recalled. Any witness who has been excused from further testimony may

remain as a spectator. It will be the responsibility of counsel to make an announcement at the time the

witness steps down that he or she should remain in the environs of the Court for a reasonable time to permit

such counsel an opportunity to secure and serve a subpoena upon the witness and assume responsibility for

his or her per diem and other expenses as provided by governing rule or statute.

24. Counsel shall admonish all persons at counsel table that gestures, facial expressions, audible

comments, or the like, as manifestations of approval or disapproval during the testimony of witnesses, or at

any other time, are prohibited.

25. Counsel should never, in the presence of the jury, ask the Court reporter to mark or flag a

witness's answer to a particular question. Instead, make a note of the time and subject matter of the

testimony you want marked, and inform the reporter unobtrusively at the next recess. This is to avoid the

use of "marking" as a device for attracting the jury's attention to certain testimony.

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26. Witness examination shall consist of direct examination, cross-examination and re-direct

examination. No recross-examination will be allowed without prior approval of the Court specifically

indicating the area for recross-examination. When there are multiple defense counsel, they are directed to

confer and designate to the Court the sequence in which they wish to be recognized during trial for

purposes of presenting opening statements and conducting cross-examination of witnesses. If one counsel

conducts the direct examination of a witness, that same counsel must make objections when the witness is

cross-examined. Counsel who will conduct the cross-examination should object while the witness is on

direct.

27. From and after the moment the case is called for trial, any objection, motion or other

application for relief made by any defense counsel, orally or in writing, shall be deemed to be adopted and

joined in by every other defendant, without announcement by counsel to that effect, and the rulings of the

Court shall be deemed applicable to each defendant unless otherwise stated at the time the ruling is made. 

Accordingly, it shall be regarded as unnecessary and improper for counsel to rise to "join in" an objection

or motion. Rather, counsel should rise to be heard only for the purpose of expressly opting out of an

objection or motion if that is his or her position.

28. Counsel are directed to deliver to opposing counsel at the end of each trial day (if not earlier) a

list of witnesses counsel anticipates calling the next trial day.

29. Counsel calling a non-client witness to testify should have no further discussions with that

witness concerning the case or any aspect of his or her testimony after the witness has been tendered for

cross-examination and until such time as the witness has been tendered back for redirect examination. At

all other times, within the bounds of governing ethics and the law, counsel may engage in discussions with

witnesses during trial.

30. Counsel are directed to schedule any matters to be heard out of the presence of the jury at a

time other than that set for the presentation of evidence. Any time taken away from presentation of

evidence to the trier of fact due to, for example, lengthy legal motions made during the time allocated to the

presentation of evidence, or delays in the commencement of proceedings due to circumstances within the

control of counsel, will be deducted from the time allocated for the presentation of evidence. Upon timely

application based upon good cause, the Court may relieve a party of its stipulation to the agreed schedule.

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31. It is the practice of the Court periodically to inform counsel of the Court's record of how much

time each side has remaining for the presentation of evidence based upon the stipulated trial schedule.

32. In an effort to heighten juror comprehension and to sharpen the issues in dispute, after each

witness has been excused, counsel may request permission to address the jury for purposes of commenting

on the significance of the evidence. Commentary shall be limited to 5 minutes for each party. Commentary

shall be opened by the side calling the witness (unless waived) and closed by the side cross-examining the

witness. No rebuttal to commentary shall be allowed. Commentary must conform to the rules of evidence

with respect to closing argument. Counsel are cautioned to avoid any appearance of stating principles of

law which apply to the case or expressing any personal opinion concerning the credibility of witnesses. 

Time taken for commentary shall be deducted from the time allocated to each side for the presentation of

evidence.

E. Instructing the Jury

33. The Court pre-instructs the jury as to preliminary matters immediately before opening

statements, and finally instructs before arguments of counsel. Written instructions are provided to the jury

upon retiring for deliberation.

F. Jury Deliberations

34. Counsel and litigants are not required to remain in the courtroom during jury deliberations;

however, it is counsel's responsibility to keep the clerk fully informed as to counsel's whereabouts at all

times, including the noon hour. Counsel are expected to return to the courtroom within five minutes after

being notified to do so. Failure to be available will be deemed waiver of the right to be present.

35. The jury will be permitted to take a noon recess or other rest breaks without the necessity of

reconvening, and to retire for the evening and resume their deliberations the next morning without

reconvening.

//

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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G. Daily Trial Transcript

36. Any counsel desiring daily or expedited transcripts during trial should make immediate

arrangements with the court reporter and should inform the Court and other counsel of such intentions.

Dated: January 4, 2006 

JAMES WARE

United States District Judge

Case 5:04-cv-00082-JW Document 196 Filed 01/04/06 Page 7 of 8
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT COPIES OF THIS ORDER HAVE BEEN DELIVERED TO:

Bryan W Vereschagin bvereschagin@gonzalezleigh.com

Christine L. Garcia christine@animalattorney.com

David Michael Rollo david.rollo@cco.sccgov.org

Frank R. Ubhaus fru@berliner.com

G. Whitney Leigh wleigh@gonzalezleigh.com

James McManis jmcmanis@mfmlaw.com

Jessica Valenzuela Santamaria jvalenzuelasantamaria@cooley.com

Juan Enrique Pearce epearce@gonzalezleigh.com

Lizbeth Brown lizbethbrown@aol.com

Marwa Elzankaly melzankaly@mfmlaw.com

Matt Gonzalez mgonzalez@gonzalezleigh.com

Michael J. Dodson cao.main@sanjoseca.gov

Nima Nami nimanami@hotmail.com

Nima Nami nimanami@hotmail.com

Nora Valerie Frimann cao.main@sanjoseca.gov

Rita A. Hao rhao@gonzalezleigh.com

Rosa Tsongtaatarii Rosa.tsongtaatarii@ci.sj.ca.us

Shannon N. Cogan shannon.cogan@berliner.com

Thomas P. Murphy tpm@berliner.com

Dated: January 4, 2006 Richard W. Wieking, Clerk

By: /s/ JW Chambers 

Melissa Peralta

Courtroom Deputy

Case 5:04-cv-00082-JW Document 196 Filed 01/04/06 Page 8 of 8