Dr. Ann Olivarius is featured in The Real Deal discussing legal tactics in the Alexander brothers sexual assault case. The article examines allegations of victim harassment, the use of investigators and public relations strategies, and the ethical boundaries surrounding witness investigations in high-profile abuse prosecutions.
She offers expert commentary on the impact of these strategies on survivors, highlighting how aggressive investigative and reputational tactics can place additional burdens on those seeking justice.
Extract:
Dr. Ann Olivarius, an attorney who has represented survivors of sexual abuse, said allegations of victim harassment are common in cases involving “powerful men accused of systemic abuse.” She pointed to Sean “Diddy” Combs, who prosecutors accused of instructing his family members to contact potential witnesses while he was in custody ahead of his federal trial.
“These allegations of harassment are not glitches in the system; they are a standard feature of the wealth defense playbook,” Olivarius said. “This is the tax on justice for victims of powerful men. You don’t just have to survive the assault; you have to survive the investigation too.”
As for the allegations about the defense’s investigators misrepresenting their identities, Olivarius said the law allows lawyers to investigate prospective witnesses, though it prohibits them — and by extension, their contractors — from using deception to do so.
However, she said the line between what is considered illegal and what is just unethical is often blurred. She referenced Harvey Weinstein’s attorney, David Boies, who helped the disgraced Hollywood producer strike a deal with private intelligence firm Black Cube to investigate reporters and accusers ahead of the publication of bombshell stories from the New York Times and New Yorker detailing his alleged sexual misconduct.
During Weinstein’s 2020 rape trial, New York prosecutors claimed Black Cube’s investigators lied about their identities to journalists and alleged victims. But Boies avoided formal discipline after downplaying his role in Weinstein’s dealings with Black Cube and arguing he didn’t direct the firm or its investigators to lie.
“Outsourcing ethics violations to private firms doesn’t make it right, but it does make it harder to police,” Olivarius said.