§ 136.080 Deposition of witness as condition of postponement

If you ask the court to delay your trial, the judge doesn't have to say yes right away. The judge can put a condition on it. That condition is agreeing to let a witness give a deposition, which is testimony taken outside of court, and allowing that deposition to be read out loud during the actual trial.

Basically, if you want more time, you might have to give something up in return. In this case, you may need to let the other side lock in a witness's statement now, through a deposition, instead of waiting to hear from that witness live at trial later.

If you refuse to agree to this, the judge is allowed to deny your request for a delay entirely. It doesn't matter what your reason is for wanting more time. The judge can still say no if you won't agree to the deposition condition.