Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_04-cv-00305/USCOURTS-caed-2_04-cv-00305-1/pdf.json

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

---

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

1

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

RODNEY WARD, )

) 2:04-cv-00305-GEB-DAD

Plaintiff, )

)

v. ) TRANSMITTAL TO PARTIES OF

) TRIAL DOCUMENTS

CITY OF SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, a )

Political Division of the )

State of California; SOUTH )

LAKE TAHOE POLICE DEPARTMENT; )

POLICE OFFICER D. BAKER; )

POLICE OFFICER SILVA; and )

POLICE OFFICER RAMIREZ, )

) 

Defendants. )

)

Attached are proposed voir dire questions, preliminary

jury instructions, and closing jury instructions. It is assumed

that the parties stipulate that Defendants acted under color of

law, so this element of Plaintiff’s claims has been omitted from

the attached instructions. Cf. Achor v. Riverside Golf Club, 117

F.3d 339, 341-42 (7th Cir. 1997) (indicating that instructions

should help jurors concentrate on the issues at hand). 

Case 2:04-cv-00305-GEB -DAD Document 36 Filed 11/01/05 Page 1 of 2
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

2

Preliminary Jury Instruction No. 3 includes language from

the parties’ “Agreed Statement to the Jury.” Specifically, text

beginning with the word “that” on 1:25 to and including the word

“campfire” on 2:1, and text beginning with the word “the” on 2:6 to

and including the word “evening” on 2:7 has been included in

Preliminary Jury Instruction No. 3. No changes were made to the

text except in the latter the word “probable” was replaced with the

word “legal.” 

The undersigned judge’s trial docket is presently

congested. In light of the parties’ undisputed facts, the case

should be tried in three days. The parties shall prepare for an

expedited trial, and are encouraged to reach additional

stipulations to ensure that the trial is completed in three days.

DATED: November 1, 2005

/s/ Garland E. Burrell, Jr.

GARLAND E. BURRELL, JR.

United States District Judge 

Case 2:04-cv-00305-GEB -DAD Document 36 Filed 11/01/05 Page 2 of 2