Irish Press Follow Lee Case

A trial date for Jason Lee, a former Goldman-Sachs managing director accused of raping an Irish woman in East Hampton during the summer of 2013, has not been scheduled, but Irish eyes are watching.

Reporters for three Irish news organizations have been turning up at Mr. Lee’s court appearances in Riverside. Mr. Lee is to appear for a 16th time in the courtroom of Supreme Court Justice Barbara Kahn on Nov. 17, when his trial is to be scheduled.

“It’s got several elements,” Rob Crilly, a freelance journalist covering the story for The Irish Times, said. “The defendant is a high-profile figure, a big banker. It is an Irish woman making the allegations.” And, he said, there is the connection between Ireland and America. “Everybody’s got family or friends in this part of the world.”

Orlaith Farrell of the Irish Independent has been at Mr. Lee’s last two court appearances. The Independent is Ireland’s best-selling newspaper, according to Wikipedia. During Mr. Lee’s Oct. 17 court date, she agreed there is an interest in the case in Ireland. She is also covering other court cases in the United States.

For example, in Middlesex, Mass., an Irish nanny, Aisling Brady McCarthy, is accused of shaking a baby to death. Her trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 20. Ms. Farrell also is tracking the case of Sean Dunne, a leading Irish developer who left the country when its real estate bubble burst, leaving a reported 700 million debt in euros. A hearing is to be held in December.

A reporter from The Irish Examiner, who has also been at Mr. Lee’s last two appearances, said it was natural for national publications to follow serious news stories involving countrymen. And all three news organizations have websites, reaching Irish nationals wherever they may be.