Federal judge in Elizabeth Holmes' trial outlines coronavirus-related courtroom changes as preparations forge ahead

A California federal court judge overseeing the case against disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has begun making plans for how the trial will move forward while remaining in accordance with novel coronavirus-related guidelines for the courtroom, according to a recent report.

U. S. District Court Judge Edward J. Davila, who is presiding over the San Jose-based wire fraud case against Holmes and Theranos’ former chief operating officer Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, warned that attorneys and defendants can expect “a very different trial of course in the COVID timeframe,” Yahoo Finance reported.

Davila outlined the plans during a Wednesday hearing conducted via video conference.

“I will be able to secure clear face masks for witnesses,” Davila said, according to the report. He said the Northern District of California is also considering providing air filtration in the area of the witness stand. “The issue is ... what do we do as far as cleanup, if you will, after — sanitizing after a witness testifies?”

The layout of the courtroom will be changed to ensure the 14-person jury and all other parties will be able to follow social distancing guidelines, the news site reported.

DISGRACED THERANOS FOUNDER ELIZABETH HOLMES HOPING TO KEEP 'WEALTH, SPENDING AND LIFESTYLE' OUT OF UPCOMING FRAUD TRIAL

One of the more prominent concerns was the reality that a juror, defense attorneys, prosecutors or even Davila could fall ill during the trial and be unable to proceed or become exposed and be required to quarantine.

“We'll have to establish some protocol and of course we'll listen to what happens if somebody becomes ill,” Davila reportedly said.

Davila also said he has concerns regarding the circulation of physical evidence and documents that would usually be shared or sent around during the proceedings.

“I don't know if there'll be any request for the jury to actually see or handle a document, or an item of evidence,” he said, “but please be cognizant of that.”

According to Yahoo Finance, t... (Read more)

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