New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft scored a significant victory in his case on Tuesday, and the court ruling will prevent the infamous footage of him engaging in sexual activity at a spa from being released — at least for the time being.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, a judge has granted a protective order stating that the alleged video of Kraft at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Fla., cannot be released to the public until the case is over, as it would jeopardize the 77-year-old’s right to a fair trial. While that means prosecutors will not be able to use the potential release of the footage as leverage to get Kraft to agree to a plea deal, it does not guarantee that the video will never be released.
The judge’s order only states that the footage cannot be made public until an agreement is reached in the case or prosecutors drop the charges. While Kraft’s legal team will likely fight to keep it from ever seeing the light of day, it seems highly unlikely that they will be successful.
Two women who run the day spa that Kraft went to filed court documents this month claiming prosecutors have already leaked the video and it is being shopped to media outlets. Kraft’s lawyers have been arguing all along that the surveillance footage was illegally obtained.
Kraft is facing two charges of solicitation of prostitution, and he has already rejected a plea deal that would have seen the charges dropped. While the case seems to have taken a significant turn from where it began, prosectors remain confident that they have enough evidence against Kraft and the other individuals involved.
