Remote Hearings

The Deschutes County Circuit Court is committed to providing justice and protecting our community during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  One of the key efforts has been to continue holding hearings and trials during the pandemic remotely.  When hearings and trials need to be held in-person, the court has taken steps to ensure appropriate social distancing can be employed in the jury assembly room and courtrooms.  Beginning Fall of 2020, juror orientation and most jury trials will be held at the North Sisters Conference Center at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Expo Center to create an even safer environment.  Please scroll down or click on the links below to for further information.  COVID-19 information for jurors can be found here.

Remote Hearings by Telephone and Video

Submitting Exhibits for Remote Hearings

Courtroom at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Expo Center

Presiding Judge Orders related to COVID-19

Remote Hearings by Telephone and Video

The Court users Cisco WebEx Meetings to conduct remote hearings by telephone and video.  Please review this document which contains general information about remote hearings:  Remote Hearing Instructions.pdf

You may join a remote hearing or trial by telephone or by video.  Access codes for both telephone and video are listed below.  First, look at the court's calendars to determine which calendar your case is set on and then find the telephone access code or click the link below to attend your hearing by video (Your hearing notice also contains information about how to access the hearing or trial by either telephone or video link.):

CISCO WebEx Conference Line and Video Links

Conference Line Phone Number for all calendars: 1 408-418-9388

*The conference lines listed for the individual judges are only utilized for hearings set outside of the normal docket sessions and at the direction of a judge.  You will be notified by hearing notice or phone notice if your hearing is scheduled in one of these sessions.  Please contact the court one or two days before your hearing or trial if you are unsure whether your case is scheduled on one of the regular dockets listed above, or one of the special set calendars for an individual judge listed below*

Joining the hearing or trial by video (available January 25, 2021)

• It is highly recommended that you use the CISCO WebEx Meetings application to join the hearing to ensure you have a good, quality connection.  Generally, connecting by using an internet browser results in poorer quality video.  Please also be aware that the mobile apps for CISCO WebEx Meetings do not offer all of the same functions that are available on the desktop applications for a desktop computer or laptop.
  
• If you are experiencing problems with the sound (audio) when joining by video, you have the option of also dialing in by telephone to speak and hear during the hearing or trial. 
• If you are using the desktop application for both video and audio connections, it is recommended that you keep the "mute" setting on at all times and use the space bar to temporarily un-mute yourself when speaking.
  

Submitting Exhibits for Remote Hearings (See PJO 2021-01)

You are responsible for providing exhibits to both the court and the other parties prior to the hearing or trial.  If you do not provide exhibits to the court and other parties prior to the hearing or trial, the judge may not allow the exhibits to be considered when deciding your case.

Providing Exhibits for the Court

• Documentary exhibits filed electronically with the Court pursuant to CJO 20-016 Section 7 must be filed by 12:00 PM two (2) court days prior to the date of the hearing or trial.
• Users can visit https://oregon.tylerhost.net/ofsweb and register for an account
  
• Filers must use an exhibit list in substantially the same format as the attached "Exhibit List."
  
• All exhibits may be filed under one "EB" (Exhibit) code as long as they are listed on the cover sheet.
  
• Exhibits must be submitted as single unified confidential PDF file (unless >25MB); and (1) Be accompanied by an index that identifies each exhibit, located at the beginning of the submission, and each identified exhibit must be electronically linked to the index; and (2) Include an electronic bookmark for each exhibit.
  
• Documentary exhibits which are not filed electronically under CJO 20-16 (7) (a) through (e), shall instead be provided to the court in printed copy, numbered and accompanied by a list of the pre-marked exhibits as required by UTCR 6.080 by 12:00 PM two (2) court days prior to the date of the hearing or trial.  Printed copies of the Court must be placed in an envelope or box clearly marked "EXHIBITS" and on the face of which is printed the case number, case name, and the date and time of the hearing and delivered to the Court Information Windows at the Deschutes County Courthouse, 1100 NW Bond Street, Bend, Oregon.  A party may either provide the court with a self-addressed, pre-postage paid envelope to return the exhibits to the party following the scheduled hearing or trial or may pick-up the documents at the Court Information Window not more than thirty (30) days after the conclusion of the hearing or trial.
  
• Non-documentary exhibits provided to the court that are in electronic format, such as audio and video records, under CJO 20-016 (7) (f) shall be placed in an envelope or box clearly marked "EXHIBITS" and on the face of which is printed the case number, case name, and the date and time of the hearing and delivered to the Court Information Windows at the Deschutes County Courthouse, 1100 NW Bond Street, Bend, Oregon by 12:00 PM two (2) court days prior to the date of the hearing or trial.  A party may either provide the court with a self-addressed, pre-postage paid envelope or box to return the exhibits to the party following the scheduled hearing or trial or may pick-up the documents at the Court Information Window not more than thirty (30) days after the conclusion of the hearing or trial.
  
• Parties that wish to provide non-documentary exhibits that are physical objects must contact the court by telephone at 541-388-5300 prior to 2:00 PM three (3) days prior to the hearing or trial date for further instructions regarding the provision of the exhibits to the court and other parties.
  

Exhibit List

Use the document below to list your exhibits.  This document must be filed with you exhibits and served on the other party.

EXH 1 - Exhibit List.pdf

Labeling Exhibits

Exhibits must be labeled with “Exhibit #" on the bottom right hand corner of each page of each exhibit. Pursuant to UTCR 6.080, exhibits must be labeled using the following system:

• If you are the Plaintiff/Petitioner label exhibits - # 1 – 100
• If you are the Defendant/Respondent label exhibits - # 101 - 199 

Courtroom at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Expo Center

Deschutes County has provided the North Sister Conference Hall at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Expo Center as an alternate courtroom location for use by the Circuit Court.  The Conference Hall, with nearly 9,500 square feet of open space, has been set up as a "COVID-19 Compliant" courtroom.  This means that every person seated in the courtroom is at least six feet from any other person in the courtroom.  This includes the jury box, counsel tables and public seating.  The facility also has a separate room large enough to hold jury deliberations while maintaining six feet distance between jurors.

Directions

From SE Airport Way, enter the Fairgrounds and Expo Center using the Mt. Jefferson Drive entrance.  Go straight ahead to the main parking area.  Once parked, enter through the ticket booths at the main gate entrance.  The North Sister Conference Hall is the first large building on the left.  Address: 3800 SW Airport Way, Redmond Oregon 97756.

Security

To improve security and the speed with which people can be screened, please limit the items you bring into the Fairgrounds Courtroom.  All personal items that you bring into the courtroom must fit in a clear one-gallon plastic bag.  Attorneys and litigants may bring additional items necessary for the conduct of trial.

Witnesses

Due to limited space and the ability to hear some of the court proceedings in the lobby area, witnesses have two options upon arrival:

• Check in with the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Deputies and provide a contact cell phone number and return to your vehicle while waiting to testify.
  
• Wait in the lobby area and wear noise-cancelling headphones provided by the Court.
  

Presiding Judge Orders

The Presiding Judge has issued several Orders relating to the conduct of Court business during the pandemic, including:

            PJO 2020-01 Regarding Security Release During a Pandemic Event.

            PJO 2020-02 Regarding Suspending Certain Requirements in SLR 7.036

            PJO 2020-03 Regarding Motions to Clear Warrants

            PJO 2020-05 Regarding Modifying Fines and Fees during the COVID-19 Pandemic

            PJO 2020-07 Regarding the Conduct of Juvenile Hearings

            PJO 2020-08 Requiring Protective Face Coverings in Court Facilities

            PJO 2020-12 Regarding the Conduct of Out-of-Custody Arraignments

            PJO 2020-13 Establishing an Alternate Court Location for Jury Trials

            PJO 2021-01 Regarding Exhibits Pursuant to UTCR 6.050 and CJO 2020-016

            PJO 2021-04 Regarding the Conduct of Hearings under CJO 2021-009

These orders, and all other operative Presiding Judge Orders, can be found here (scroll down to Presiding Judge Orders).