Asbestos Defendant Moves for Mistrial, Says Counsel Was ‘Barred from Entering Courtroom’ to Conduct Voir Dire

OAKLAND, Calif. –– An asbestos defendant that previously contested a court order requiring prospective jurors to wear masks during voir dire has moved for a mistrial, contending that its counsel was barred from entering the courtroom and left “its chances of receiving a fair trial … irreparably damaged.”

In the July 16 motion filed in the California Superior Court for Alameda County, defendant Fryer-Knowles Inc. said its counsel was “barred from entering the courtroom to conduct the first day of voir dire in person.”

“[Edward R. Hugo] was unceremoniously turned away because the Court was ‘not set up for counsel’ …