The lawyer for a woman suing the so-called Cornell 7 over an alleged gang rape has claimed that lawyers representing the defendants are leaking documents to the media.
Thomas Giuffra made the allegation in a legal letter filed on Wednesday, while asking a judge not to impose a broad order restricting the parties and their lawyers from speaking publicly about the case.
Giuffra argued that the defendants had mounted a coordinated media campaign, while he had been responding to the attention surrounding the proceedings. He said a gag order could prevent him from answering further attempts to influence public perceptions through people not directly involved in the case.
Claims over leaked Cornell 7 documents
In the filing, Giuffra pointed to reports about text messages sent by Jane Doe after the alleged incident as evidence that information was being passed to the press by the other side.
He also referred to the media relationship between TMZ and Mark Geragos. Geragos co-hosts the podcast “2 Angry Men” with Harvey, while his daughter, Teny Geragos, represents Winston Lee, one of the defendants in Jane Doe’s lawsuit.
Giuffra’s filing suggests that Geragos has helped promote the defence’s position from outside the case and alleges that information was being distributed through media coverage.
The lawyer also cited his legal disputes with Sean “Diddy” Combs, claiming that Geragos had similarly acted as an unofficial member of the defence team in that matter while advancing its position externally.
Giuffra has himself appeared on numerous television and cable news programmes to advocate for his client. Despite his criticism of the defendants’ lawyers, he is asking the judge to reject a sweeping restriction on public comments, arguing that he may need to respond if the other side continues using surrogates to shape the narrative.
