Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_10-cv-00721/USCOURTS-caed-2_10-cv-00721-14/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 

GERALD WILSON, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

MCDONALD, et al., 

Defendants. 

No. 2:10-cv-721-JAM-JFM (PC) 

ORDER DIRECTING THE FILING OF 

PRETRIAL STATEMENTS 

Plaintiff, a state prisoner proceeding pro se, has filed this civil rights action 

under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. On May 3, 2013, the district judge adopted this court’s February 8, 

2013, findings and recommendations regarding defendants’ motion for summary judgment. This 

case, therefore, proceeds on plaintiff’s Eighth Amendment claims against defendants Lopez and 

Diaz. Accordingly, the court will now set the matter for pretrial conference and the trial date will 

be reset in the forthcoming pretrial order. 

 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 his pretrial 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 his case, whether that evidence is in the 

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form of exhibits or witness testimony. If 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. 

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: 

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

 has informed the party that he or she 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: 

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 1. The party himself 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' custodian to bring the witness to court. 

 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. 

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 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' 

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’s 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 cases, the tendering of witness fees and travel 

expenses is required even if the party was granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis. 

 In accordance with the above, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that: 

 1. Plaintiff shall file and serve his pretrial statement and any motions necessary to 

obtain the attendance of witnesses at trial within sixty (60) days. Plaintiff is advised that failure 

to file a pretrial statement may result in the imposition of sanctions, including dismissal of this 

action. 

 2. Defendants shall file their pretrial statement not later than thirty (30) days after the 

filing of plaintiff’s pretrial statement. 

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 3. Pretrial conference (as described in Local Rule 282) will be conducted on the file only, 

without appearance by either party. 

 4. The date for jury trial before the assigned District Judge will be set in the pretrial order. 

DATED: August 12, 2013.

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