Patrons of Robert Kraft-linked spa file lawsuit to block video release

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It appears Florida prosecutors have another legal battle on their hands relating to the recent prostitution scandal.

A group of men and women have filed a federal class action lawsuit claiming they were illegally videotaped receiving lawful messages at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Fla., where New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is accused of soliciting prostitution.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 31 unidentified John and Jane Does, none of whom were charged with a crime. The defendants claim that Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg and the Jupiter Police Department unlawfully obtained warrants to install video cameras at the Orchids of Asia spa then invaded their privacy by filming their spa visits in late January.

"It is horrific when you think about the scenario," said Joseph Tacopina, the attorney who filed the suit, via the Associated Press. "It is akin to going to a bathroom. You are in a state of undress and you are being surreptitiously recorded and that recording is now subject to disclosure and being disseminated around the internet.

"It is an abomination of any form of privacy rights and constitutional rights."

In addition to seeking unspecified punitive and monetary damages, the suit wants the video evidence blocked from public release and eventually destroyed.

Kraft's lawyers have the same desire to keep the videos under wraps. Aronberg's office said last week it was obligated to make the videos public, but a judge ordered to block their release until at least a hearing after Kraft's legal team accused the state attorney's office of prosecutorial misconduct.

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