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Five months later, Kentucky attorney general speaks with Breonna Taylor's family

Breonna Taylor FamilyBy ELLA TORRES, STEPHANIE WASH and SABINA GHEBREMEDHIN, ABC News

(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) -- More than 150 days after the killing of Breonna Taylor, a young Black medical worker fatally shot in Louisville, Kentucky, by plainclothes officers who were executing a no-knock warrant, it's still unclear whether any police will face charges, attorneys for Taylor's family said.

Ben Crump and Lonita Baker said at a press conference on Thursday that the family met with the mayor and state attorney general on Wednesday but that no definitive answers emerged.

Crump did say he "absolutely" expects there to be charges in the case, but he didn't provide additional details.

Baker said Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron personally extended his condolences to the family during the meeting, the first time he's spoken with the family.

Cameron told them he didn't reach out previously because he feared it could interfere with his investigation. His office is waiting on ballistics reports from the FBI and additional interviews before any decisions are made, Baker added.

"He wants to have the right answer at the end of this. He doesn't want to rush through it," Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, who attended the meeting, said at the press conference.

But, Baker added, "We're not going to wait forever. We do want this resolved quickly and accurately."

Taylor was killed March 13 after officers executed a no-knock entry into her home, according to the arrest warrant obtained by ABC News. Police said she had been accepting packages for an ex-boyfriend whom police were investigating as an alleged drug trafficker.

Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, got out of bed around midnight when they heard commotion outside. After a short exchange with officers, Walker said he fired his gun in self-defense, saying he thought the home was being broken into, according to police.

The plainclothes officers returned multiple shots, including the ones that fatally struck Taylor. Police said the no-knock warrant was necessary "due to the nature of how these drug traffickers operate," the arrest warrant states.

Attorneys for Taylor's estate claimed that more than 20 shots were fired into her apartment, hitting her multiple times.

Crump said Thursday that in a separate meeting he and his co-attorneys challenged Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer "to make sure that he is courageous and responsible in trying to lead his city out of this tragedy."

"He has that power and we want him to rise to the occasion," Crump said.

Crump also said they discussed the officer who attorneys for Taylor's family allege lied on a probable cause affidavit that "enticed" a judge to sign a no-knock warrant, calling for him to be fired.

"You have to admit the wrong that occurred, and then you have to have conscientious thoughts about how that wrong happened," Crump said.

Baker added that they discussed with the mayor a number of things that they believe the city needs to change, including ordinances, the FOP contract, and the termination of other officers involved. There was a positive dialogue, she said, but now it's time to turn it into action.

Taylor's aunt, Bianca Austin, said that even though it's been five months, each day still feels like March 13.

Wearing a T-shirt with Taylor's face pinned to the left arm and a mask with her niece's name, Austin said the family still has faith the city will do the right thing.

"We need to take our city back so there won't be any more names," she said.

Palmer said she hopes to see justice beyond just her daughter's case.

"At this point it's bigger than Breonna, it's bigger than Black lives," Palmer said. "It's about bridging the gap between us and police."

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Jeffrey Epstein's estate lawyers accused of 'belittling' alleged victim

BCFC/iStockBy JAMES HILL, ABC News

(NEW YORK) -- A lawyer for an alleged child-sex trafficking victim contends in a new court filing that attorneys for Jeffrey Epstein's $655 million estate are engaged in a "concerted and coordinated effort" to delay the woman's lawsuit in an attempt to steer her claims into a private victim compensation fund established by the estate.

"They have done everything they can to make these cases as difficult as possible for the victims so the victims feel like they have no real choice but to submit to the fund and postpone the proceedings indefinitely," Robert Glassman, an attorney for the alleged victim who sued under the pseudonym Jane Doe, wrote.

Doe filed the lawsuit against the estate in January. The complaint also names Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's alleged accomplice, as a co-defendant. Doe alleges she was recruited by the pair in 1994 when she was a 13-year-old music student at a summer camp in Michigan.

Of the more than 30 women who brought legal claims against Epstein's estate following his death last year, Doe is the only accuser who has declined to put her lawsuit on hold to pursue an alternative resolution via the Epstein Victims' Compensation Fund, a voluntary non-adversarial program that began evaluating claims in June.

In the seven months since Doe filed the lawsuit, estate lawyers have yet to turn over a single document in response to pretrial requests and have "resorted to belittling [Doe] ... simply because she is exercising her constitutional right to pursue a legal claim against those responsible for causing her unimaginable harm," according to Glassman's claims in a letter to U.S. Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman.

"In short, since [Doe] has not agreed to stay her case and walk away, she is being punished by the Epstein estate for doing what she has a basic right to do. That is simply unacceptable and [she] is not walking away," Glassman wrote.

Glassman declined to comment on the letter when reached by ABC News.

Lawyers for the estate did not respond to an email request for comment, but in a letter filed with the court late Wednesday, they disputed Glassman's allegations that the estate had belittled the alleged victim as "completely untrue."

"We have done no such thing, and the inclusion of this claim by plaintiff's counsel further highlights their lack of good faith in these discussions," Epstein estate attorney Mary Grace Metcalfe wrote.

The parties have been wrangling for months now over the estate's insistence on a confidentiality order and a non-disclosure agreement being in place before they would turn over any relevant information in their possession to Doe's lawyers, who have thus far declined to sign on to its terms. During a teleconference last week, estate lawyer Bennet Moskowitz told the court that Doe's lawyer's refusal to sign the agreement is the only thing standing in the way of the estate turning over documents to her legal team.

"It kind of boggles our minds because this case is brought by someone acting through an anonymous name. That is reason alone to have a confidentiality agreement," Moskowitz said.

Moskowitz also advocated for putting the litigation on hold while Doe submits a claim to the compensation fund, arguing that it was "a very sensible thing to do."

According to a spokesperson for the compensation program, forms were sent to over 100 potential claimants so far and more than 25 claims have been filed and are being reviewed.

Unlike a lawsuit, the claims process is designed to be confidential from start to finish, which may be a favored path for the vast majority of alleged Epstein victims. But the process, by its very nature, may also prevent disclosure of information about the scope of Epstein's finances and his alleged sex-trafficking operation that might otherwise be revealed in public court records or proceedings. The only public reporting required of the program is a periodic aggregate accounting of the number of claims paid and the total amount of the awards.

Judge Freeman, who is overseeing the case, seemed to be nudging Doe's lawyers during the telephonic hearing in the direction of staying the case, as dozens of other Epstein accusers had done.

"I'm not trying to twist anybody's arms here. I just think you need to talk because I don't want to see money unnecessarily spent," Freeman said. "And I'm not saying you should agree to a stay, but I think you should consider it."

But Glassman told ABC News in a brief interview last month that -- while Doe may at some point opt to submit a claim to the compensation fund -- she has no interest in delaying the lawsuit while that process runs its course. Glassman also said that he sees no need for the confidentiality agreement the estate wants in place because there is an existing court order which prohibits the disclosure of his client's identity to anyone not involved in the case.

"We're interested in taking this case to trial and getting the evidence that we need in order to prepare the case for that time," Glassman said.

Doe's lawsuit alleges that she is the first known child victim of Epstein and Maxwell. According to her civil complaint, after first meeting them at the music camp, a months-long grooming process continued after she returned home to Florida, where Epstein had a seaside estate on Palm Beach Island. Doe's father had recently passed away, the complaint said, creating an opportunity for Epstein and Maxwell to fill the void.

"Epstein gave himself the name of Doe's 'godfather' while Maxwell acted like an older sister to her," her complaint said. "They took her to movies, went shopping with her and lounged around Epstein's estate with her."

Doe, now 40, alleges the abuse escalated over the next few years as Epstein and Maxwell asserted more and more control over her life and aspirations. Epstein paid for voice lessons, private high school tuition and even co-signed a lease on a New York City apartment for Doe and her mother, according to her complaint.

She claims the abuse occurred at Epstein's homes in Florida, New York and his ranch in New Mexico, and that she would often travel to those locations with Epstein and Maxwell on one of Epstein's private jets.

"Epstein's system of abuse was facilitated in large part by his co-conspirator and accomplice, Maxwell, who helped supply him with a steady stream of young and vulnerable girls," the complaint said, "many of whom were fatherless, like Jane Doe, and came from struggling families."

The allegations in Doe's complaint are substantially similar to the circumstances of one of the three child victims described in the criminal indictment filed against Maxwell last month. Maxwell has denied Doe's claims in the civil suit and has pleaded not guilty to the charges in the criminal indictment. She is currently being held without bail in a federal jail in Brooklyn, New York.

In a letter to the court Wednesday, Maxwell's attorney Laura Menninger indicated that she intends to ask the court to put Doe's claims against Maxwell on hold, pending the outcome of her criminal case. Citing the difficulties she's had communicating with Maxwell at the jail, Menninger asked for another week to consult with her client before filing a formal request.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Entertainment News

"A great human being": Gloria Estefan, Naya Rivera's 'Glee' mom, remembers the late actress

FOX Image Collection via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Last month, Glee star Naya Rivera tragically drowned in California's Lake Piru; her four-year-old son was found safe in a boat. Gloria Estefan played the mother of Rivera's Glee character, Santana, in two episodes of the hit Fox series and tells ABC Audio that while Rivera's loss is "brutal," she's left behind "a wonderful legacy."
"When I shot the first season, that show was at the peak of fame. So there was a lot of young people in that show that may have had a tougher time dealing with fame and weren't that friendly," Gloria recalls. "Naya always had her feet on the ground and was warm and welcoming and lovely."
Praising Rivera as a "triple threat" who could sing, dance and act, Gloria says that Naya was discussing a possible music career with her husband, producer Emilio Estefan.
"She was talking to Emilio...about doing music and then she got married and had her baby, so she got sidetracked...," notes Gloria. "But she was always lovely and warm and generous. We talked a lot on the set...[and] afterwards."
The "Conga" singer says when Rivera first went missing, she held out hope that she'd survived.
"Because I'm a boater and I'm a mom, I was hoping that maybe what had happened is that after she put the baby on the boat, maybe she'd gotten pulled away by a current and could somehow find her way to the shore," Gloria recalls.
"I can only imagine those last moments. It's brutal," she says sadly.
But, Gloria concludes, "She leaves behind a wonderful legacy. I've sent a lot of prayers and good thoughts to that baby boy and her family. She was very beloved on that [Glee] set and was a great human being."
Gloria's new album Brazil305 comes out on Friday.
By Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Viral Trump impersonator Sarah Cooper lands Netflix special

Credit: Mindy Tucker(LOS ANGELES) -- Author/comedian Sarah Cooper, who has become a viral sensation with her impersonations of President Donald Trump on TikTok, has landed her own Netflix special, titled Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine, the streamer announced on Wednesday.
The special, directed by Orange Is the New Black alum Natasha Lyonne and executive produced by Saturday Night Live vet Maya Rudolph, will feature a "vignettes dealing with issues of politics, race, gender, class and other light subjects," according to Netflix.
Cooper, 42, will also be "joined by a fantastic array of special guests who will participate in short interviews, sketches and more shenanigans."
Cooper, whose satirical lip-sync impressions of the president have gained mainstream attention over the past several months, have earned her praise from Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Stiller, Halle Berry, Cher and Jerry Seinfeld, among others.
Prior to that, Cooper was a writer and correspondent on the CBS All Access pilot Old News, which was produced by Stephen Colbert, and wrote the best-selling books 100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings and How to be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings.
She also guest hosted Tuesday's edition of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine is set to premiere sometime in the fall.
By George Costantino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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