In a response to the former 'Charmed' actress' claim, Jose Baez and Ronald Sullivan insist there are no conflict of interest exists when they replace the disgraced producer's attorney Benjamin Brafman.
- January 24, 2019
AceShowbiz - Actress Rose McGowan has turned on her former lawyers for agreeing to represent Harvey Weinstein.
The "Planet Terror" star has been waging a war against the disgraced movie mogul for years, claiming he raped her in a hotel at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah back in 1997, and now she's upset her legal team in a recent drug possession battle are backing her nemesis.
Weinstein has hired lawyers Jose Baez and Ronald Sullivan to replace defence attorney Benjamin Brafman, who quit the producer's sex assault case last week, and now McGowan has confirmed they used to represent her, suggesting the new deal may be behind her having to plead no contest to misdemeanour drug possession last week, ends January 18.
"This is a major conflict of interest but I knew there was shadiness going on behind the scenes," McGowan told The Daily Beast on Wednesday, January 23. "This is why my case didn't go to trial. My instinct was my lawyers had been bought off."
"I thought Harvey would get to them behind the scenes and I wouldn't have fair representation."
"I asked Jose Baez directly if he would ever work with Harvey and I told him it was my fear that he would be bought off while representing me," she added. "He responded by saying, 'I don’t like to lose.' "
Baez and Sullivan represented the actress when she struck a no-jail plea bargain last week in connection to a felony drug possession charge, which stemmed from the discovery of cocaine inside a wallet found on a plane at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
NEW: @rosemcgowan speaks out about Weinstein hiring two of the attorneys that recently represented her: "This is a major conflict of interest but I knew there was shadiness going on behind the scenes" https://t.co/JhqYKe78Ym
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) January 23, 2019
McGowan claimed she was set up by Weinstein as revenge for her allegations against him.
Baez and Sullivan have released a joint statement, which reads: "We were pleased to represent our former client, Ms. Rose McGowan, in a matter unrelated to Mr. Weinstein's current charges. After consultation with ethics counsel, we are certain no conflict of interest exists. We wish Ms. McGowan well with all her future endeavours."
The two lawyers will represent Weinstein in his upcoming sexual abuse trial, which is set for May. The producer maintains he has never performed non-consensual sex with any woman.
