Court ruling on deposition completion
A judge has ordered Creative Artists Agency co-founder Michael Ovitz to complete his deposition in the sexual assault lawsuit brought by actor Julia Ormond. Judge Adam Silvera ruled that Ovitz had inappropriately terminated the June 1 deposition when he walked out following questions regarding Jeffrey Epstein.
While the judge ordered Ovitz to finish the testimony by Dec. 18, he denied requests from Ormond’s lawyers for an arrest warrant and a contempt finding. The judge also declined to rule out further questions about Epstein during the upcoming session.
Background of the lawsuit
Ormond is suing CAA over a December 1995 meeting the agency arranged with Harvey Weinstein, after which Weinstein allegedly assaulted her. Although Ovitz had already left the agency at the time of the meeting, Ormond’s legal team sought to question him regarding CAA’s relationship with Weinstein and its handling of sexual misconduct complaints.
During the June deposition, Ovitz questioned the relevance of inquiries about his acquaintance with Epstein, removed his microphone, and left the room. Legal representation for CAA argued that Ovitz was subjected to questioning designed to smear his character rather than address relevant case matters.
Ormond’s attorneys, including Kevin Mintzer, Meredith Firetog, and Effie Blassberger, released a statement welcoming the decision. They stated that the ruling establishes that Ovitz is not above the law and expressed an expectation that he will complete the questioning.
Previously disclosed emails from the Epstein files showed communications between Ovitz and Epstein, including messages discussing potential meetings in St. Barts.
