Order Denying Jane Doe Protective-Order Motion as Moot

ORDER DENYING MOTION FOR PROTECTIVE ORDER State of Florida v. Epstein Florida 15th Judicial Circuit, No. 06-CF009454-AXX Entered: February 2008 This state-court order denied Jane Doe No. 1's protective-order motion as moot. The court had received the motion dated February 5, 2008 and a defense response dated February 8, 2008, then reviewed both papers in chambers. Judge Sandra K. McSorley concluded that no hearing was necessary and that the motion should be denied because the dispute had become moot. The underlying motion alleged that a minor witness and her mother had been subjected to intrusive deposition-service tactics after the defense sought to depose the witness in the Florida criminal case. The defense response, which the order references, argued that the parties had reached a revised procedure for the deposition: counsel for the witness would accept service, and the deposition would be reset for February 20, 2008. On that record, the court did not issue broader protective relief. The order is short, but it is useful in context. It shows that the court treated the witness-protection dispute as a procedural matter resolved by a changed service arrangement, rather than as a basis for continuing court supervision over the defense's contact with the minor witness. For researchers, it also helps trace the way the 2006 grand jury's single-count indictment moved into ordinary criminal discovery practice, including depositions of victim witnesses. This record should be read with Jane Doe No. 1's motion and the defense response. Together, those documents show a state prosecution environment in which victim privacy, deposition access, and defense investigation collided after the grand jury returned its limited charge. Source: DOJ Epstein Library / Florida 15th Circuit Available at: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/State%20of%20Florida%20v.%20Epstein%2C%20No.%2050-2006-CF-009454-AXXX-MB%20%28Fla.%2015th%20Cir.%20Ct.%202006%29/EFTA02823290.pdf