Court delayed when flu-masked inmate spooks lawyer

A court hearing for a jail inmate in Spokane, Wash., had to be postponed a day because he was wearing a surgical mask and his defense lawyer refused to sit next to him.

Details.

[What is your favorite story about a creative request for continuance?]

We had an attorney come in and tell the judge that a tree fell on her house the night before. It was true. We'd had a bad storm the night before.

My very first request for a continuance, 25+ years ago. The defense attorney had an interest in some race horses. He wanted to go watch a race one of his horses was running; continuance was granted by the judge. Not sure if his pony won.

Okay, so it wasn't exactly like that.
Or it wasn't like that at all.

We had the same thing happen yesterday as the first post without the mask in Kent County. Defendant was coughing,laying his head on the table, and short of breath at times. We were sure he was faking, but we asked the defense lawyers to stay on their side of the courtroom after they had been sitting close to the defendant. Judge let us pick a jury and then reset the trial in three weeks.