Bair v. Faust

MARY R. RUSSELL, Chief Justice.

The plaintiff in an automobile accident case was not present during voir dire or at the beginning of the second morning of trial before opening statements commenced. Her attorney initially informed the trial court during voir dire that the plaintiff would not be attending the trial. After conversations with the court and defense counsel, the plaintiffs attorney announced that the plaintiff could be present if given additional time. Upon motion of the defendant, the trial court excluded the plaintiff from the trial and allowed the defendant to argue an adverse…