The Pellicano Trial: Judge Rules Terry Christensen Can't Plug Huffington Post Audiotape Leaks

Posted by Eriq Gardner

We're still a bit disappointed the world won't get to hear Bert Fields explain his complex relationship with Anthony Pellicano. But the lack of Fields testimony gives us time to return to the saga of the Huffington Post's Allison Hope Weiner.

When we last left the intrepid trial blogger, indicted attorney Terry Christensen (who will face a separate trial when the current Pellicano case wraps) had requested a TRO to prevent the posting those now-infamous audiotapes of Chris Rock, Courtney Love and Matt Williams chatting privately with the sleuth.

Today comes word that the TRO has been denied on First Amendment grounds, and Hope Weiner is not restrained from posting more leaked recordings from Pellicano's heyday. Here's the ruling.

The court found that such an enjoinment would be a prior restraint, and that excerpts of the tapes had already been printed in the NY Times . The court said that Christensen had not met the heavy burden to suppress the information. Furthermore, it declined to compel Hope Weiner to disclose her sources.

Pretty straightforward. We're only left wondering what other tapes Hope Weiner has up her sleeve. She's repped in the case by Gibson Dunn's First Amendment guru Ted Boutrous.