The “Bitch, I’m Madonna” defense shouldn’t fly in a court of law, Manhattan court papers say.
The singer had sued ex-pal Darlene Lutz and the Manhattan auction house Gotta Have It! Collectibles last month to block the sale of 22 items including a pair of the singer’s worn satin panties and a love letter to her from late rapper Tupac Shakur.
Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Gerald Lebovits yanked the items from the auction pending the completion of the case and ordered a deposition of Madonna before September.
But in an Aug. 10 letter, her attorney, Jennifer Jones, wrote to Lutz’s lawyer that her superstar client didn’t want to be videotaped at the scheduled Aug. 22 legal grilling.
“Given the intense media interest in this case, we are concerned that a protective order would be inadequate to protect the privacy interests of the individual parties,” Jones wrote.
Lutz’s lawyer, Judd Grossman, countered that Madonna shouldn’t get red-carpet treatment in the case.
“Plaintiff’s celebrity status is not a legitimate basis to treat her differently than every other party who walks through these courthouse doors,” Grossman said.
“If Donald Trump (as recently as 2016, on the eve of his Presidency), Justin Bieber, Eminem, and Dr. Dre, to name just a few recent examples, must have their depositions videotaped, then Madonna should not be given any special treatment simply because of her celebrity status,” Grossman said.
He added that a videotaped deposition is essential to evaluate Madonna’s “credibility.”
Madonna first claimed that Lutz, her former art consultant, stole the items from her Miami home during a move. The story later shifted to Madonna saying that Lutz was simply storing moving boxes on her behalf, but then tried to auction off her property without her permission, according to Grossman.
“Now that it is defendants’ turn to test those allegations under cross-examination, so that the truth can be revealed, for the first time Madonna wants these proceedings to be conducted in secret,” Grossman said.
Madonna’s lawyers have said that her story has been consistent.
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Aug. 21.