As a direct result of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, P.A.'s
triumph in CA Florida Holdings LLC v. Aronberg on behalf of The
Palm Beach Post, a Florida court
has released the 2006 grand jury transcripts pertaining to the
state's Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse
investigation.
WEST
PALM BEACH, Fla., July 8, 2024
/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As a direct result of global law firm
Greenberg Traurig, P.A.'s triumph in CA Florida Holdings LLC v.
Aronberg on behalf of The Palm Beach Post, a Florida court has released the 2006 grand jury
transcripts pertaining to the state's Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse investigation. The
release follows the July 1 effective
date of a new state law that was written specifically to address
this case and is the result of a five-year legal battle waged by
The Palm Beach Post and Greenberg Traurig.
The precedent-setting matter is the first reported case in
Florida where media were granted
access to such materials for a case not involving public
corruption. Greenberg Traurig's work paves the way for greater
public access in Florida and other
states to information about secret grand jury proceedings when this
access is deemed to be in the interest of furthering justice.
On May 10, 2023, the Greenberg
Traurig team obtained a Florida
appellate victory that reversed a Palm
Beach County trial court order denying The Palm Beach Post
access to Florida grand jury
materials from the Epstein prosecution. The appellate court, in a
case of first impression, held the trial court had authority to
release Epstein grand jury materials in the interests of
justice.
The Greenberg Traurig team argued that the press had a statutory
right to access criminal proceedings and that disclosure of the
grand jury transcripts was appropriate due to exceptional public
interest in the case and the compelling circumstances supporting
transparency. Maintaining that the release of the transcripts would
further justice for numerous victims sexually abused by Epstein,
the team also emphasized that the outcome of the grand jury
proceedings made it possible for Epstein to continue molesting and
trafficking victims for 13 more years.
After the appellate decision, the trial court declined to
release the transcripts a second time, Florida legislators then created House Bill
117, which specifically instructed the court to release them.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law
Feb. 29, allowing the transcripts to
be released to the public as of July
1.
"The public now knows what abusive conduct occurred before the
grand jury and how these young girls were humiliated and made to
feel that they – rather than Jeffrey
Epstein – were on trial," said Fort Lauderdale Litigation Shareholder
Stephen A. Mendelsohn, who led
Greenberg Traurig's representation of The Palm Beach Post. "This
was a herculean team effort in plowing new legal ground and, but
for our efforts, there would not have been a change in Florida law. Hopefully this demonstrates to
prosecutors that child victims of sexual abuse should be treated
with respect and care, rather than as participants in their own
abuse."
The multioffice team representing The Palm Beach Post also
included Nina D. Boyajian, a
Los Angeles Litigation
shareholder; Michael J. Grygiel,
co-chair of Greenberg Traurig's National Media and Entertainment
Litigation Group in Albany;
Mark F. Bideau, co-managing
shareholder of the firm's West Palm
Beach office; and Brigid F. Cech
Samole, chair of the Miami
Appeals & Legal Issues Group and co-chair of the Miami
Litigation Practice.
About Greenberg Traurig's Litigation Practice: Greenberg
Traurig's Litigation Practice includes a team of more than 700
attorneys. The firm's trial lawyers regularly appear in state and
federal courts throughout the country, as well as in appellate
courts and before international arbitration panels. They work
closely with in-house counsel to develop a strategy that best fits
a litigation cost and proficiency model appropriate to the client's
unique needs and goals.
About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than
2750 attorneys in 47 locations in the
United States, Europe and
the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The firm is a 2022 BTI "Highly
Recommended Law Firm" for superior client service and is
consistently among the top firms on the Am Law Global 100 and NLJ
500. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 6.0 Certified Plus by The
Diversity Lab. The firm is recognized for powering its U.S. offices
with 100% renewable energy as certified by the Center for Resource
Solutions Green-e® Energy program and is a member of the
U.S. EPA's Green Power Partnership Program. The firm is known for
its philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono. Web:
http://www.gtlaw.com.
Media Contact
Elaine Walker, Greenberg Traurig,
+1 305.579.0832, walkere@gtlaw.com, http://www.gtlaw.com/
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SOURCE Greenberg Traurig