Robert Kraft's lawyers are fighting battles on several fronts.
Media organizations filed a joint motion in Palm Beach County on Tuesday moving to oppose the New England Patriots owner's recent motion to have evidence suppressed by protective order in his solicitation case, attorney Daniel Wallach reported Tuesday night.
BREAKING: Media organizations have moved to intervene in Robert Kraft's solicitation of prostitution case for the purpose of opposing his motion for a protective order to prevent non-parties from gaining access to evidence gathered during the investigation (including videotapes) pic.twitter.com/TKZ7tNpA4a — Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) March 27, 2019
Kraft's legal team filed its motion last Wednesday requesting that any evidence from a Florida human trafficking investigation not be made public. Essentially, the media is filing a counter-motion to ensure the video isn't suppressed.
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
Media organizations named in the filing include ABC, The Associated Press, ESPN, Gannett, GateHouse Media, McClatchy, The New York Times, the Orlando Sentinel, the Sun-Sentinel and TEGNA.
Police have said they have video evidence of Kraft entering the Orchids of Asia Day spa in Jupiter, Fla., and paying cash for sexual favors. Kraft, who maintained his innocence Tuesday by pleading not guilty and requesting a jury trial, obviously doesn't want that video to get out.
The sheriff in Martin County, which borders Palm Beach County, said recently he expects video in the case to be made public eventually, since Florida's public records law has no protection on evidence once a case is over.
Wallach reiterated that policy Tuesday night on Twitter.
Here is how Florida's open records law treats the evidence (including videos) gathered by law enforcement in the Kraft case:
EXEMPT prior to being disclosed to the defendant.
NO LONGER EXEMPT once turned over to the defense.
UNLESS, disclosure would impede right to fair trial. — Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) March 27, 2019
As for the case itself, Kraft's jury trial likely won't come in the near future, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday he'll wait on "all the facts" before determining discipline.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.
