What must a plaintiff do before a witness who lives outside the trial venue can be compelled to testify?

To compel a witness who resides outside the trial venue to testify, the plaintiff is typically required to pay for the witness's travel expenses. This is because the law generally protects witnesses from incurring financial burdens related to their attendance at court, especially when they must travel significant distances. In order to ensure that a witness appears and provides testimony, offering to cover the travel expenses is an essential step in adhering to legal requirements and facilitating the witness's participation in the trial.

While other options might involve preliminary legal steps or procedural measures, such as filing a motion for continuance or serving a notice of deposition, they do not directly address the fundamental requirement of compensating witnesses for their travel. The necessity of paying for travel expenses underpins the expectation that witnesses can be compelled to testify when the appropriate arrangements are made to accommodate their participation.