Jones

1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 4 AMANDA JONES, Case No. 15-cv-02726-TSH

Plaintiff,

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE

v.

NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER CORPORATION, et al., 9 Defendants. 10 11 November 29, 2023 was the first day of an anticipated two-week trial in the above- captioned matter. The scheduled trial was a retrial, following a trial in March 2023 in which the jury was unable to reach a verdict. Prior to trial, both Plaintiff and Defendant confirmed they were not planning to call any witnesses who did not testify in the previous trial. ECF No. 461 (Pretrial Conf. Tr.) at 12-13. On the first day of trial, following voir dire by the Court and Plaintiff’s counsel, counsel for Defendant Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (SCMTD), Robert G. Howie, began voir dire for the defense. Before asking the prospective jurors any questions, Mr. Howie informed the entire pool of prospective jurors that the Plaintiff 1) had multiple sclerosis (MS), and 2) was “confined to a wheelchair for reasons that have…