Doe v. Bonnell, the courtroom

Courtroom View · Preview

The room, one moment at a time

The same case as the Chronological View, drawn as the room it happened in. Move the line along the bar, or step with Previous and Next, and the room changes with the moment: who was in it, who was only on a screen, and which parts of it stood empty.

Still being built. A filled circle is someone a source places in the room that day: a minute entry, a transcript, a photograph or a report, linked from the card. A hollow one is someone who was part of the case at that point and is not recorded in the room, which on most dates is because nothing happened in court at all. A question mark explains a part of the room. The plan is a plain one and not a drawing of the real courtroom.

Bench Witness stand Reporter Jury box Plaintiff Defendant The bar Public gallery

In the room

The district judge

Becerra, J.

Jacqueline Becerra, the judge the case is assigned to. Took the hearings of 4 April 2025, 21 April 2026, 19 August 2026 and 2 October 2026.

ECF Nos. 31, 239, 292, 309
The magistrate judge

Torres, M.J.

Edwin G. Torres, to whom pre-trial matters are referred. Heard the evidence on 3 June 2025 and took the motion away to write a recommendation, which the district judge then decides.

ECF No. 87
Court staff

The court reporter

Each minute entry names the reporter who took the hearing down. The transcript of 3 June 2025 runs to 140 pages.

ECF Nos. 31, 90
The plaintiff

Jane Doe

Sues under a name the court allowed on 20 February 2025, two days after the complaint. The record places her in the room once, on 3 June 2025.

ECF No. 87
On the stand

Jane Doe

Sworn and testified. She said she had never personally seen a record of any transmission after October 2022.

ECF No. 87
Counsel for the plaintiff

Carlos A. Garcia Perez

Lead counsel on the docket, of SMGQ Law in Coral Gables. In court on 4 April 2025, 3 June 2025 and 19 August 2026.

ECF Nos. 31, 87, 292; parties and attorneys
Counsel for the plaintiff

Joan Schlump Peters

Of JSP Law in Naples, Florida, admitted for this case. In court at four of the five hearings.

ECF Nos. 31, 239, 292, 309
Counsel for the plaintiff

Gustavo D. Lage

Of the same Coral Gables firm as lead counsel. In court at every hearing from 3 June 2025 on.

ECF Nos. 87, 239, 292, 309
The defendant

Bonnell

The record places him in the room twice, both times to give evidence: 3 June 2025 and 2 October 2026.

ECF Nos. 87, 309
On the stand

Bonnell

Sworn and testified. He said he never obtained verbal or written consent to share the video, but believed the context of their exchanges implied it.

ECF No. 87
On the stand

Bonnell

One of two witnesses sworn. The minute entry says an order will follow.

ECF No. 309
On the stand

Jesus Peña

The plaintiff’s forensic expert, and the other witness sworn that day.

ECF No. 309
Counsel for the defendant

Andrew B. Brettler

Of Berk Brettler in West Hollywood, admitted for this case. Joined the first conference by Zoom and has been in the room for every hearing since.

ECF Nos. 31, 87, 239, 292, 309
Counsel for the defendant

Robert L. Raskopf

Of Bilzin Sumberg in Miami. In court on 4 April and 3 June 2025. Left the case on 18 November 2025, by the docket.

ECF Nos. 31, 87; parties and attorneys
Counsel for the defendant

Patricia M. Patino

Of Bilzin Sumberg. By Zoom on 4 April 2025 and in the room on 3 June. Left the case on 12 January 2026, by the docket.

ECF Nos. 31, 87; parties and attorneys
Counsel for the defendant

Michael S. Morgan

Of Bilzin Sumberg. In court at each of the three hearings in 2026.

ECF Nos. 239, 292, 309
Counsel for the defendant

Jake A. Camara

Of Berk Brettler. In court on 19 August 2026.

ECF No. 292
Counsel for the defendant

Joel Sichel

Of Berk Brettler. In court on 2 October 2026.

ECF No. 309
A lawyer, side not stated

Augusto Lopez

Listed among the lawyers who appeared on 2 October 2026. The docket’s own list of attorneys does not show this name for either party, so the seat is behind the bar.

ECF No. 309; parties and attorneys
A witness in the case

“Abbymc”

Known in the case only by that name. Her sworn declaration of 2 May 2025 is the document the federal claim now depends on. No minute entry places her in the courtroom.
The jury box

Empty: no jury yet

No jury has been chosen, and the trial was taken off the calendar on 30 June 2026. The defendant has asked for one, so if the case is tried this is where it sits. A federal civil jury has between six and twelve members and has to be unanimous.

Jury demand: docket; Fed. R. Civ. P. 48
The public gallery

Not recorded

The minute entries list the lawyers and say nothing about who watched, so the benches are drawn empty. The hearings were open. For a case followed this closely online, the people usually found here are reporters, friends of the parties and other lawyers from the firms.
The public gallery

Not in use

Nothing was heard in court on this date, so there was nothing to watch. These benches are where the public and the press sit when there is.
The witness stand

Empty: no witnesses

Nobody gave evidence at this hearing. It was argument between the lawyers and the judge.
The witness stand

Not in use

Where a witness sits to give evidence under oath, beside the judge and facing the lawyers. It has been used twice in this case: on 3 June 2025 and on 2 October 2026.

ECF Nos. 87, 309
The bench

Empty: no case yet

Where the judge sits, raised above the rest of the room. On this date the case had not reached a court.
The witness stand

Empty: no case yet

Where a witness sits to give evidence under oath, beside the judge and facing the lawyers. On this date the case had not reached a court.
The jury box

Empty: no case yet

Where the jurors sit, along the wall nearest the side that has to prove its case. On this date the case had not reached a court.
The plaintiff’s table

Empty: no case yet

Where the side that brings the case sits with its lawyers. It is always drawn on the left here. On this date the case had not reached a court.
The defendant’s table

Empty: no case yet

Where the side that answers the case sits with its lawyers. On this date the case had not reached a court.
The public gallery

Empty: no case yet

Benches behind the bar for the public and the press. Courts sit in the open, so anyone may take a seat. On this date the case had not reached a court.
The court reporter

Empty: no case yet

Where the reporter sits to take down every word of a hearing. On this date the case had not reached a court.
The court reporter

Not recorded

A reporter takes down every hearing. The sources used for this one do not mention the reporter, so the seat is drawn empty.
The court reporter

Not in use

A reporter sits here at every hearing and takes down every word. Nothing was heard on this date.

Days in court

4 Apr 2025 A status conference before Judge Becerra, held partly in person and partly by Zoom. Minute entry, ECF No. 31
3 Jun 2025 A hearing on the injunction motion before Chief Magistrate Judge Torres. Two hours and thirty-five minutes in court, and both parties gave evidence. Minute order, ECF No. 87
21 Apr 2026 A motion hearing before Judge Becerra. Twenty minutes in court. Minute entry, ECF No. 239
19 Aug 2026 A motion hearing before Judge Becerra on the spoliation motion and a motion to seal. Minute entry, ECF No. 292
2 Oct 2026 An evidentiary hearing before Judge Becerra. Two witnesses were sworn. Minute entry, ECF No. 309
Depositions A deposition. It is taken in an office and not in court. Lawyers for both sides attend, and there is no judge and no public.

Back to the case

Terms

Plain English

Words this page uses because the court uses them. Nothing here is special to this case.

The paperwork

Docket: The court’s numbered list of everything filed in a case. Entry 42 is the forty-second thing filed.
ECF No.: How a filing is cited: its docket number. A number after a dash, like 42-4, is an attachment to it — usually an exhibit.
Complaint: The document that starts a lawsuit and sets out what the plaintiff says happened. An amended complaint replaces it.
Answer: The defendant’s formal response to the complaint, admitting or denying each allegation.
Declaration: A written statement signed under penalty of perjury. It counts as evidence without the witness appearing in person.
Exhibit: A document, screenshot or record attached to a filing as proof of something asserted in it.
Transcript: The word-for-word record of a hearing or a deposition. Cited by page and line, so 55:7 means page 55, line 7.
Errata: A formal correction a witness files to their own sworn testimony after reading it back.
Under seal: Filed with the court but kept off the public record. Both sides and the judge can read it; nobody else can.

How a case moves

Motion: A formal request that the court do something. The other side files an opposition; the moving side may then file a reply.
Discovery: The stage where each side must hand over relevant evidence to the other. It has a deadline, and missing it matters.
Deposition: Sworn question-and-answer, out of court, recorded by a court reporter. Lawyers for both sides attend; there is no judge.
Subpoena: A court order compelling someone who is not a party to hand over documents or give testimony.
Evidentiary hearing: A hearing where witnesses actually testify and are cross-examined, rather than lawyers simply arguing.
Protective order: An order limiting what either side may do with the material it receives in discovery.
Magistrate judge: A judge who handles pre-trial matters. On some questions they recommend, and the district judge decides.
Paperless order: A short ruling typed straight onto the docket. It has no document behind it, so its citation opens the docket entry instead.

The motions that can end things

Motion to dismiss: Argues the case cannot proceed even if everything alleged is true — usually because the court lacks power to hear it.
Summary judgment: Argues the facts are not genuinely in dispute, so the judge can decide without a trial. If facts are disputed, it fails.
Motion in limine: Filed before trial to decide what a jury will and will not be allowed to hear.
Spoliation: Destroying or losing evidence you were obliged to keep. The duty starts once you know a lawsuit is coming.
Sanctions: A penalty for misconduct in the litigation itself. They can run from a fine to losing the case outright.
Adverse inference: A sanction where the jury is told it may assume the destroyed evidence would have hurt the side that destroyed it.
Rule 11: The rule requiring that filings have a factual basis. A Rule 11 motion says the other side asserted something it could not support.

Tests the court applies

Jurisdiction: Whether this court has the power to hear this case at all. A federal court needs a federal claim, which is why one date decides so much here.
Burden: Which side has to prove a thing. If they do not, they lose that point, even if the other side proves nothing either.
Retroactive: Whether a law reaches conduct from before it existed. Usually it does not, unless Congress clearly said so.
Hearsay: Repeating what someone said outside court to prove it was true. Generally not allowed, with many exceptions.
Authentication: Showing a document or screenshot is genuinely what its proponent says it is. The bar is low, but it is not nothing.
Probative: Actually tending to prove something. Evidence can be admissible and still carry very little weight.