The Knoxville News Sentinel reported that the “interlocutory appeal” came after a Knox County Criminal Court judge denied their attorney’s request to subpoena conversations on social media.
The appellate court order said “an interlocutory review of the trial court’s order, in total, will prevent needless and irreparable harm and prevent protracted litigation concerning the accessibility and discoverability of digital information from the service providers and customer-witnesses.”
The appeal court panel isn’t expected to rule for months, which is why the trials will be delayed.
The attorneys for Johnson and Williams are saying that their accuser and three other witnesses used text messages and other social media outlets to communicate with each other about the event in question.