Friedman in 1980s New York sex abuse case sues

Washington Post  A man who was portrayed in an Oscar-nominated documentary as he fought to overturn his guilty plea in a notorious 1980s sex abuse case sued a Long Island prosecutor Thursday, alleging she defamed him to bolster her conclusion that the plea should stand.

Jesse Friedman, a subject of the film “Capturing the Friedmans,” accused Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice of concocting “outrageous” allegations about him, including a widely published statement that he created pornography involving child rape, incest and bestiality while a prisoner.

Friedman’s attorney Ronald Kuby said Rice timed her statements to “have the greatest negative impact” on the public’s perception of Friedman — last summer, as she neared the conclusion of a three-year review of the case.

Rice included the pornography allegation in her June 2013 report on the case, according to the lawsuit, and in press releases that became fodder for tabloid newspaper headlines including: “Jailbird Perv a Smut Writer.”

Paul Leonard, a spokesman for Rice’s office, issued a statement Thursday saying: “We view this lawsuit as meritless and will defend zealously against its allegations.”[...]