Excluding witnesses. At a party’s request the court may order witnesses excluded so

that they cannot hear other witness’s testimony. Or the court may do so on its own. But this rule does not authorize excluding: a. A party who is a natural person. b. An officer or employee of a party that is not a natural person, after being designated as the party’s representative by its attorney. c. A person whose presence a party shows to be essential to presenting the party’s claim or defense. d. A person authorized by statute to be present. [Report 1983; November 9, 2001, effective February 15, 2002; April 2, 2009, effective June 1, 2009; September 28, 2016, effective January 1, 2017] Rules 5.616 to 5.700 Reserved. ARTICLE VII OPINIONS AND EXPERT TESTIMONY