Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_20-cv-00759/USCOURTS-caed-1_20-cv-00759-16/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Roxanne Coleman
Defendant
Devonte B. Harris
Plaintiff

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

DEVONTE B. HARRIS,

Plaintiff,

v.

ROXANNE COLEMAN,

Defendant.

Case No.: 1:20-cv-00759-ADA-SKO (PC)

ORDER SETTING PRETRIAL 

CONFERENCE AND JURY TRIAL AND 

ASSOCIATED DEADLINES

Pretrial Conference: 6/26//23 at 1:30 p.m. via 

Zoom Video Conference 

Jury Trial: 8/29/23 at 8:30 a.m. in 

Courtroom 1

Plaintiff Devonte B. Harris is proceeding pro se in this civil rights action pursuant to 42 

U.S.C. § 1983. 

Discovery is closed and no party filed a pretrial dispositive motion. A settlement 

conference was held February 14, 2023. The case did not settle, and this action proceeds on a 

single claim of retaliation in violation of the First Amendment against Defendant R. Coleman. 

The Court now sets the following dates and deadlines. 

I. PRETRIAL CONFERENCE & PROCEDURES

A pretrial conference is set for June 26, 2023, at 1:30 p.m., in Courtroom 1, before 

District Judge Ana de Alba. The pretrial conference will be held via Zoom video conferencing. 

Defense counsel shall arrange for Plaintiff’s participation and shall contact Courtroom Deputy 

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Mamie Hernandez (mhernandez@caed.uscourts.gov) for the connection information. The Court 

will issue a writ of habeas corpus ad testificandum to allow for Plaintiff’s participation, as 

appropriate. 

The parties shall file a separate pretrial statement in compliance with Local Rule 281. 

Plaintiff shall file his pretrial statement on or before June 12, 2023. Defendant shall file her 

pretrial statement on or before June 19, 2023; a copy of Defendant’s pretrial statement shall also 

be emailed in Word format to ADAorders@caed.uscourts.gov. 

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

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

or entry of default. 

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 in 

order 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 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.

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

voluntarily 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, 

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 

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

eyewitness or an ear-witness to the relevant facts, the party can swear by declaration under 

penalty of perjury that the prospective witness has actual knowledge (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); 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 

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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 April 28, 2023. Opposition(s), if any, must be filed on or before May 26, 2023. 

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 

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.

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If Plaintiff wishes to have the U.S. Marshals Service serve any unincarcerated witnesses 

who refuse to testify voluntarily, Plaintiff must submit the money orders to the Court no later than 

May 26, 2023. In order to ensure timely submission of the money orders, Plaintiff must notify 

the Court of the names and locations of his or her witnesses, in compliance with the instructions

above, no later than April 28, 2023.

II. TRIAL DATE

The jury trial is scheduled to commence on August 29, 2023, at 8:30 a.m., in Courtroom 

1 before District Judge Ana de Alba. 

III. EFFECT OF THIS ORDER

Any party unable to comply with the pretrial conference or trial dates outlined in this 

order shall immediately file an appropriate motion or stipulation identifying the requested 

modification(s).

The dates for the pretrial conference and jury trial set in this order are considered to be 

firm and will not be modified absent a showing of good cause, even if a stipulation to modify is 

filed. Due to the impacted nature of the civil case docket, this Court disfavors requests to modify 

established dates.

IV. CONCLUSION

The Clerk of the Court is additionally directed to serve a copy of Local Rule 281 on 

Plaintiff. 

All parties are advised that failure to comply with this order may result in the 

imposition of sanctions.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: February 16, 2023 /s/ Sheila K. Oberto .

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

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