Technological problems delayed opening statements in Michael Avenatti’s federal criminal trial in California by at least a day, driven by pandemic-related procedures that Avenatti’s lawyer argued warrant a mistrial.

The 118 people who remain in the jury pool are to be split into three groups for group voir dire, with two groups watching from other rooms via a live video feed. As potential jurors are dismissed from the courtroom, others will be brought in from the overflow rooms. Questioning began Friday, but the quality of the audio to the other rooms was so poor the jurors there couldn’t understand it.

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