August 10, 2026
Erik Groothuis recently spoke to The Guardian about the legal strategy behind the Luigi Mangione defense team’s concerns over press access ahead of Mangione’s highly anticipated murder trial.
In the article, “Press access spat adds to fears of circus around Luigi Mangione murder trial,” The Guardian examines the dispute over media access to the proceedings, including the defense’s claims that journalists were being selectively excluded from the courtroom. Mangione’s attorneys argued that limited access could raise concerns under his Sixth Amendment right to a public trial and requested greater transparency around which reporters would be permitted to attend.
Erik describes the defense’s approach as “a bit dramatic,” suggesting that the team may be looking beyond the immediate issue of press access and seeking to preserve potential arguments for a future appeal.
“It seems to me they're trying to do everything they can, as careful lawyers, to create appellate issues,” Erik tells The Guardian. “Whether these six journalists versus some other six are in there, I'm not sure it matters a whole lot, but they're just trying to grab for every piece of leverage they can, and create issues that they might be able to leverage for appeal.”
Erik also notes that the defense’s request for a list of reporters granted access was unusual, adding to what he characterizes as an interesting example of legal posturing ahead of the closely watched proceedings.
Read the full article in The Guardian.
Erik S. Groothuis is a partner at Schlam Stone & Dolan LLP and member of the Firm’s management committee. His practice focuses on real estate litigation, financial services litigation, and professional liability litigation. In 2022, Mr. Groothuis was appointed to the American Arbitration Association's roster of neutrals and maintains an active practice serving as an arbitrator in commercial cases. He has been selected to the New York Metro Super Lawyers® list in Business Litigation since 2022.