Preventing improper witness coaching during remote depositions

Michael J. Rossi
BridgeTower Media Newswires

Anyone who has peeked at his or her cellphone during a Zoom meeting likely has recognized the potential for improper witness coaching during a remote deposition.

When lawyers, the deponent and the court reporter are in physically different places, it is difficult for an attorney conducting a deposition to observe or control the way the deponent and his or her lawyer communicate. That opens the door for unscrupulous attorneys to provide information, advice or feedback to a deponent in real time, while questions are pending.

Fortunately, there are some practical steps attorneys can take while conducting remote depositions to minimize the risk of improper witness coaching.

Remote depositions likely will be a part of litigation practice in for the foreseeable future. Though there are pitfalls, there are also advantages to remote depositions in terms of cost and convenience.

Steps to prevent improper coaching

An attorney conducting a remote deposition can begin to minimize the risks of improper coaching before the deposition begins.

In discussing logistical arrangements with opposing counsel, the deposing lawyer should insist that each person attending the deposition be visible to all other participants and that their statements be audible to all participants at all times. That means that no attendees should be allowed to hide their video feed or mute their audio while testimony is ongoing.

Such an arrangement mimics the dynamics of an in-person deposition, where it would not be possible for someone to sit invisibly in a conference room. An agreement on this point should be memorialized when the usual stipulations are put on the record.

Next, deposing counsel should set forth some additional ground rules at the outset of a deposition.

Counsel should clearly instruct the witnesses not to initiate or participate in a private conference with any other person while a question is pending, including through text message, electronic mail, or the chat feature in the videoconferencing system. Even better, counsel should ask the witness to agree not to do so under oath.

Another helpful ground rule to include might be that the deponent not use a cellphone or browse the internet during the course of the deposition.

Once testimony is underway, deposing counsel should ask the witness a series of questions to address the unique circumstances of a remote deposition. Counsel might ask the witness to:

• describe where he or she is located (i.e., home or office);

• identify all electronic devices that are presently available to the witness; and

• identify all persons physically present in the room with the witness.

Counsel should also ask the witness to alert the other participants if any person enters the room during the course of the deposition. Under most circumstances, non-parties have no right to attend a deposition and should be asked to leave.

As with in-person depositions, counsel conducting a remote deposition should be on the lookout for signs of improper witness coaching. They may be subtle. Was there an audible indicator of someone receiving a text message? Are there extended pauses between questions and answers? Does the deponent appear to be making eye-contact with someone off camera?

If counsel suspects that a deponent is receiving information in real-time, the best course of action is to make a record of it by describing exactly what counsel has observed — i.e., “Let the record reflect that on several occasions there has been a pause of five seconds or more between questions and answers.”

Such a statement should discourage further attempts at witness coaching and also would provide a basis to challenge unfavorable testimony, if necessary.

Another option is for counsel to request that the witness move far enough away from the computer so that the witness cannot read messages on the screen, and his or her hands are visible.

Remote depositions are here to stay. Like any new technology, they present some appealing opportunities for lawyers, as well as risks of abuse. Fortunately, counsel can minimize those risks with a heightened awareness and some simple measures.

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Michael J. Rossi is a civil litigator in Boston, with an emphasis on commercial litigation, professional liability and employment litigation.