(Reuters) - Senior U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska ordered the third postponement of Steven Donziger's trial on Wednesday, after his attorney Lauren Regan said she could not travel from her home in Oregon to New York due to the coronavirus pandemic for the in-person bench trial.

Donziger, the American lawyer who spent more than two decades suing Chevron Corp over pollution in Ecuador was facing a civil trial next Wednesday for criminal contempt. The trial will now begin on Nov. 9.

The development in the closely-watched case came hours after Regan, of the Civil Liberties Defense Center, asked the court to adjourn the trial or allow her to withdraw as counsel. Donziger does not agree to a tele-trial.

Regan is Donziger's only remaining attorney after four of his previous lawyers were either disqualified by the court or withdrew from the case in recent months. She moved to represent Donziger in May.

In her order, Preska said that her court had "undertaken a massive campaign (to) ensure that its facilities are safe and ready for trial in COVID-19 conditions."

Nine years ago, Donziger had won a $9.5 billion judgment against Chevron in an Ecuador court, but was unable to enforce it after a U.S. judge found it had been obtained through fraud.

Preska has previously voiced concerns over delays of the trial, which involves several counts of criminal contempt including Donziger's failures to timely undergo a forensic inspection of his electronic devices and to surrender his passport.

The prosecution, represented by Rita Glavin of Seward & Kissel, declined to comment.

The case is USA v. Donziger, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 1:19-cr-00561-LAP-1.

For USA: Rita Glavin, Brian Maloney and Sareen Armani of Seward & Kissel

For Donziger: Lauren Regan of the Civil Liberties Defense Center