Lori Loughlin, husband ask court to turn over evidence against them in college admissions scandal
Lawyers for actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli claim they haven't seen evidence against their clients; Trace Gallagher reports from Los Angeles.
Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli can continue using a law firm that recently represented the University of Southern California, a judge ruled on Tuesday.
The couple appeared in Boston federal court to settle a dispute over their choice of lawyers in a sweeping college admissions bribery case.
Prosecutors had said their lawyers posed a potential conflict of interest. Loughlin, 55, and Giannulli, 56, said the firm's work for USC was unrelated to the admissions case and was handled by different lawyers.
LORI LOUGHLIN LYING LOW AHEAD OF COLLEGE SCANDAL COURT APPEARANCE WITH HUSBAND MOSSIMO GIANNULLI
The judge is expected to rule later on a potential conflict with another firm representing the actress and fashion designer, which also represents other defendants in the case.
Lori Loughlin leaving federal court Tuesday in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
In a July filing, the couple's legal team from Latham & Watkins announced that Giannulli and Loughlin wanted to maintain a united front in court.
"Giannulli and Loughlin are innocent of the charges brought against them and are eager to clear their names," the filing read. "And they believe their interests will be advanced most effectively by presenting a united front against the Government’s baseless accusations."
The attorneys added that Loughlin and Giannulli wanted a "common defense" and noted that they understood the risks involved with mutual representation, including the frequent legal argument that "the best defense for one client may depend on compromising the defense of the other client."
EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON LORI LOUGHLIN, MOSSIMO GIANNULLI'S REPORTED CRIMINAL DEFENSE STRATEGY
FILE - Actress Lori Loughlin, left, leaves as her husband Mossimo Giannulli, right, trails behind her outside of the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston on April 3, 2019. (Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Loughlin and Giannulli's attorneys also said in their filing, "A common defense often gives strength against a common attack ... Whatever happens, Giannulli and Loughlin will have their interests fully protected, and the case will proceed without undue delay."
In March, the former "Fuller House" actress and the fashion designer were accused of paying $500,000 to alleged admissions scam mastermind William "Rick" Singer to get daughters Olivia Jade and Isabella recruited onto the USC crew team despite neither girl being a coxswain. The girls' statuses at the college are on hold amid an internal investigation into the admissions scam.
COULD OLIVIA JADE BE IMPLICATED IN LORI LOUGHLIN AND MOSSIMO GIANNULLI'S ALLEGED COLLEGE SCAM?
In this Feb. 28, 2019 file photo, actress Lori Loughlin, center, poses with daughters Olivia Jade Giannulli, left, and Isabella Rose Giannulli at the 2019 "An Unforgettable Evening" in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Giannulli and Loughlin rejected the plea deal that other parents allegedly involved in the case – including Felicity Huffman – accepted, reportedly because it included jail time. They were subsequently slapped with additional charges of money laundering and conspiracy. They each face up to 40 years behind bars if convicted of all counts.
LORI LOUGHLIN, MOSSIMO GIANNULLI'S OPTIONS ARE 'LIMITED' AFTER PLEADING NOT GUILTY IN COLLEGE SCAM
Previous reports claimed that the disgraced couple would use ignorance as their defense. Sources close to Loughlin and Giannulli claim that they believed Singer was a "facilitator." They allege that Singer didn't inform Giannulli or Loughlin that their $500,000 was specifically being used as a bribe for the USC rowing coach.
MOSSIMO GIANNULLI NEVER ENROLLED IN USC, USED PARENTS' TUITION MONEY
However, the pair allegedly was aware that Singer wanted photos of their daughters on a rowing machine, but reportedly wasn't explicitly informed as to how the photos would be used.
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Sources previously said that while Loughlin and Giannulli haven't seen eye to eye on everything in the case, they've been fighting the charges "as a team."
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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