Six news outlets—Defector Media, the Miami Herald, Scripps Media, CBS4 (WFOR-TV), NBC6 (WTVJ-TV), and Telemundo 51(WSCV-TV)—all asked for permission to intervene in Tyreek Hill's divorce case on Friday, making the request so they could argue in court that documents labeled confidential in the proceedings must be made public under Florida's rigorous open-records laws.
Specifically, the request is focused on a document filed by an attorney for Lakeeta Vaccaro Hill, in which she reportedly said there were eight instances of domestic violence by her estranged husband, the star Dolphins receiver, during their marriage. Vaccaro's lawyer filed the document with the court and did not request that it be sealed. (In fact, at a court hearing, a member of Hill's legal team said they had asked Vaccaro's attorney to file it under seal, but Vaccaro's attorney declined). A copy of that Miami-Dade circuit court document was obtained by TMZ, but no other outlet has been able to confirm TMZ's reporting as the record has been sealed by the court clerk, due to a request filed by Hill's lawyer.
Circuit judge Spencer J. Multack held a hearing on Monday of last week to discuss Vaccaro's document, which was a request to update her petition for a divorce. Vaccaro's attorney, Evan R. Marks, said that he reached out to talk about the new filing with one of Hill's lawyers, Seth Schneiderman, before submitting it. But, before the meeting, Marks said he received threats from Schneiderman saying that if any financial harm came to Hill because of the court document, "his client will pursue all available remedies against me, my client, and my firm, and me, personally." A second person on Hill's legal team, Marks said, made similar threats to him as well.
The threats did not stop Marks from filing the document. Two days later, Hill's legal team filed their request to seal the record, citing a part of Chapter 39, a section of Florida statutes that makes confidential records related to cases of child abuse and the termination of parental rights.
Schneiderman spoke at the Monday hearing as well. He said, "There is no need to place these type of allegations in the court file as it will bring media attention to the case and perhaps an NFL investigation." Schneiderman added that he had proposed making the document confidential, which Marks rejected; he did not directly address the threats Marks described. At no point during the hearing did Schneiderman mention child abuse, the termination of parental rights, or any of the other reasons mentioned in Chapter 39 for making a document confidential.
Multack accepted Vaccaro's updated petition for a divorce on Wednesday. Two days later, all six media outlets filed their motion to intervene, noting that this made Vaccaro's document the operative pleading in the case—yet it is completely shielded from public view.
All that is known so far is what TMZ reported, which is that Vaccaro said just two months into their marriage, Hill "shoved her to the floor, stood over her, and then ripped off her necklace," followed by several other examples of him physically hurting her, including while pregnant. This is not the first time Hill has been accused of intimate-partner or family violence.
The request from the six media outlets points out that, in Florida, there is a strong presumption of openness in court files, including divorce records, and closure is typically only granted in very limited circumstances. The request from Hill's side, the motion says, "has not overcome this presumption to carry his 'heavy burden' required by both case law and procedural rules promulgated by the courts of this state."
The amended petition from Vaccaro also does not appear to concern any Chapter 39 records, as there's nothing in the court file to indicate that anyone involved in the divorce has been accused of child abuse. Instead, the motion says, it appears that the amended petition from Vaccaro contains information that Hill "simply does not wish to be made public" and later adding "wishing to avoid the media or NFL’s attention is not a proper basis for closure of court records in Florida."
A copy of the motion in full is below, or click here to read it.
