Michael Avenatti (Photo by David Handschuh/NYLJ) Tech Problems Delay Avenatti Trial Opening Amid Pandemic Jury Pool Splitting
The snafu is a procedural one, but it encompasses issues Avenatti's lawyer, H. Dean Steward, raised about the constitutionality of the jury selection process that could arise again in an appeal should Avenatti be convicted.
July 16, 2021 at 09:53 PM
6 minute read
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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