Return to Transcripts main page
Jane Velez-Mitchell
Missing Dancer`s Ex-Boyfriend Arrested for Battery, Domestic Violence; Mitrice Richardson`s Mother Wants Body Exhumed, Reexamined
Aired December 21, 2010 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, shocking twists and turns deepen in the mysterious disappearance of a gorgeous Las Vegas showgirl as her ex-boyfriend is a no-show in court for domestic violence charges. He allegedly beat her up in October and he was reportedly the last person to see her before she went missing. Also, Debbie Flores- Narvaez told cops she was pregnant with his child. We`ll examine these major developments with a close family friend.
And a stunning development in the war over Mitrice Richardson`s death. Cops released her in the middle of the night with no money, phone or car. Then 11 months later, she turned up dead. Now her furious mother is demanding her remains be exhumed and reexamined.
Also, an accused, perverted doctor gets slammed with a harassment complaint by three women who work for them. They say this man offered them gynecological exams and even exposed himself. But that`s not the worst of it. Tonight, I will talk to the three alleged victims about this unbelievable nightmare in a national prime-time exclusive.
Plus, just when you thought Lindsay Lohan is on the right track, another explosive story. Tonight the actress is a suspect in a criminal battery investigation. The alleged victim? A staffer at her rehab clinic. I`ll get the inside scoop live tonight from Lindsay`s father.
ISSUES starts now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CELESTE FLORES-NARVAEZ, SISTER OF DEBBIE FLORES-NARVAEZ: Just let her go and let her be and let her come home to us and the people that she loves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, shocking new developments in the disappearance of a Las Vegas show girl who has been missing for more than a week. Her ex-boyfriend, Jason Griffith, was arrested for allegedly beating her up in October, just a couple of months ago. And he was supposed to be in court today, but guess what? He was a no-show. Could that be significant to this missing persons case?
Her ex-boyfriend Jason Griffith was probably the last person to see Debbie Flores-Narvaez before she was reported missing nine days ago. He has not been named a suspect in her disappearance. We want to stress that. But the arrest affidavit shows he got into a heck of a fight with Debbie just two months ago. The affidavit says Griffith pushed Debbie, kicked her, and even pulled out her hair.
Her sister talked to CNN`s Brooke Baldwin today and said she didn`t know about that fight or the new revelation that Debbie was pregnant with his child. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
C. FLORES-NARVAEZ: She knew how I felt about domestic violence and things like that, so I think it was more of she was ashamed if something was going on. I`m not sure if there was or not. She didn`t -- I went to court.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She didn`t talk about it.
C. FLORES-NARVAEZ: Yes. She didn`t talk to me about it. It was more my mother, and my mother really didn`t know about that either. Apparently, she was pregnant. I found out about that when I got here, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow. This gorgeous Las Vegas dancer had a solo in the top-rated adult stage show "Fantasy." Take a look at Debbie in a music video with her ex.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY GRIFFITH, EX-BOYFRIEND: Keep it up!
DEBBIE FLORES-NARVAEZ, MISSING DANCER: Oh, I got you! I got you!
GRIFFITH: No!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: A lot of elbowing there.
Debbie`s car was found abandoned in an empty lot in a bad neighborhood with only her makeup bag inside.
The ex-boyfriend is not being called a suspect, but if the charges that he attacked Debbie are true, then his propensity for violence is clear. Could he be the key to finding out what happened to Debbie?
I`m taking your calls: 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877-586-7297.
Straight out to radio host Chet Buchanan with 98.5 KLUC.
You`re in Las Vegas. You`ve been talking to the cops. You`re all over this story. What is the very latest?
CHET BUCHANAN, RADIO HOST, KLUC: Well, the very latest is, as you said, the boyfriend did not show up in court today, although I would imagine that was with predetermined with the judge and with Jason`s lawyer. I would imagine that they decided on that ahead of time, because it has been a media circus.
The boyfriend has been almost impossible to find. I went over and knocked on his door myself today. No answers, but a number of neighbors have stated that they saw Debbie come out of that apartment many times very upset, sometimes in tears.
Although a very interesting point: I just spoke to Celeste, Debbie`s sister, moments ago, just right outside of this studio. And she had a very interesting take on it, because I think I was more worked up and excited than she was about this ex-boyfriend and the possibilities.
And she said, "You know, I want to be very careful with this because if, in fact, these are two separate things, obviously, the one abuse incident and then Deborah`s disappearance." She says, "I want to make sure that I don`t ruin this man`s life any more than it needs to be." She goes, "Obviously, I`m upset with him for what happened back in October. But if he had nothing to do with this, I don`t want to ruin this man`s life."
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, that`s very good of her. And again, we want to stress that he is not considered a suspect or even a person of interest by police in this case. Although he was, well -- Jason Griffith, this guy we`re talking about, reportedly the last person to see her. And again, he was a no-show in court today.
Now, only his lawyer showed up. Griffith was supposed to be arraigned on battery, domestic violence and coercion charges for an October 22 fight with Debbie.
The arrest affidavit says the fight started when Griffith found Debbie visiting one of his ex-girlfriends. It claims that he elbowed Debbie through her open car window and took her phone. Funny that we saw a little elbowing there on that other video.
Debbie told the caps she`d been dating Griffith for a year and that she was pregnant with his child. The affidavit says Griffith kicked her, pulled her hair and attempted to take her phone again.
Angelica Bridges, you are a friend of Debbie`s. And you also -- you also performed on "Fantasy" with her. Now you told us last night that one time this boyfriend came with Debbie to a show. What was your impression of this guy at that time?
ANGELICA BRIDGES, FRIEND OF DEBBIE FLORES-NARVAEZ: Yes. I actually met him after the show, and Debbie introduced him to me as her boyfriend. And I shook his hand. And she had told me before that, before he came to the show, he was a fan of mine and had seen me on the cover of "Maxim" or "FHN," so he wanted to meet me. So I shook his hand. He seemed very nice, and he, you know, went down the line and met all of the backup dancers, as well, and was a complete gentleman.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hmm. Interesting. So you didn`t get any weird vibe off of him?
BRIDGES: I didn`t get any weird vibe at all.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Well, that`s good news. Now I`m going to go straight to my big issue tonight. The cops say there was no indication of foul play. Really? Seriously? Are you kidding me? Debbie`s car is found abandoned without the license plates in an empty lot in a bad part of Las Vegas? She`s been missing for nine days, people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. ROB LUNDQUIST, LAS VEGAS METRO POLICE: She may have left on her own. However, we`re taking this and treating this very seriously. At this point, we are -- we`re going to look at every aspect of the -- aspect into this investigation as if there was foul play, but at this point, we haven`t found any indication of foul play.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I mean, are we losing it here? How many times do we have to see this? A gorgeous girl, very sexy, disappears. She has a history of being a victim of domestic violence. She also feared stalkers who might have become obsessed with her because of her semi-nude show. How many more warning signs do you need before you at least call this foul play?
And I`ll throw that to Casey Jordan, criminologist.
CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST: Oh, no. You`ve got what we call in criminology a trifecta here. Foul play, I mean, the car is abandoned. There`s -- I think the only reason they`re doing this, Jane, is reverse psychology. They are trying to keep Blue Griffith cooperating with him. That`s why they say he`s not a suspect. But believe me he is.
He was the last person to have a romantic relationship with her, the last person to see her, and he has a history, according to the police report, of abusing her. And if she`s pregnant, things could have really been amped up between them in their relationship. Then we have the text she sent to her mother saying, "If there`s an emergency contact my ex- boyfriend."
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m going to get to that right now, actually. Debbie sent a text message to her mom December 1 that said, "In case there is ever an emergency with me, contact Blue Griffith in Vegas. My boyfriend, not my best friend." Later, Debbie told Mom, "Never mind. Just keep it for your records."
Debbie`s sister isn`t convinced the texts have anything to do with her sister`s disappearance. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
C. FLORES-NARVAEZ: There was more to that text message that the text message just kind of didn`t make any sense. It was more of a -- it felt as though, I guess, she was in a quick hurry, and she texted really quickly, as some of us do. And you know, there were more words in there. It just wasn`t that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. We`re trying to figure out what`s up with this relationship. Rachel Uchitel, former Las Vegas insider, what do you make of all the new information we`re getting, particularly about this allegation of beating, domestic abuse, and also this very cryptic text?
RACHEL UCHITEL, FORMER LAS VEGAS INSIDER: Well, regarding that text message, Jane, I think there`s more to it than people are even looking at. Who is the best friend that she`s talking about? And why go to -- why go to Jason instead of the best friend? I`m curious if there was a relationship between the best friend and Jason.
And -- and another thing that I want to say is, in Las Vegas more than anywhere else, relationships fall apart because of jealousy. It is the biggest thing that happens there. The whole place is based on sex and lies and drugs, and my theory is that there`s another woman involved. And I believe that, to find out the -- what`s going on and where she is, you need to look at who has been intimate with this guy Jason recently.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, very interesting you should say that, Rachel, because we do have an issue involving an ex-girlfriend. We`re going to get to that on the other side of the break.
We`re also taking your calls. Everyone stay right there. We`re taking your calls at 1-877-JVM-SAYS.
Also, the war over Mitrice Richardson`s death heats up. She disappeared after cops release her in the middle of the night with no money, no phone, no car, all over an $89 tab at a restaurant. Now her mom is fighting for her daughter`s remains to be exhumed and reexamined. I will talk to her furious mom.
Plus, more on these stunning developments in the mysterious, disturbing disappearance of a gorgeous Las Vegas showgirl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
C. FLORES-NARVAEZ: This was her life. This is what she does is dancing. She left her career to follow her dream and what she loves to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
C. FLORES-NARVAEZ: It`s hard. I can`t -- I can`t make anything of this right now. I just -- it`s not her. It`s not her to go missing. It`s not her to go take a small vacation like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Stunning new details about the life of a missing Las Vegas dancer before she vanished into thin air nine days ago. Here she is dancing in an audition video we found on YouTube to the music of James Cappra Jr.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well, today we found out Debbie Flores- Narvaez`s boyfriend was arrested for allegedly beating her two months ago. And she told cops she was pregnant with his baby. Is that significant?
Parish, Louisiana, your question or thought. Hey, Parish?
CALLER: Hello?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Parish, your question or thought.
CALLER: I want to know, did they, like, search the boyfriend`s House for any clues like her license plate or anything like that?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, excellent question. Nicole DeBorde, I would think the first thing they`d want to do is execute a search warrant on his house and find out what the heck is in there. Because he claims that she was outside and never walked into his house the day that she disappeared.
NICOLE DEBORDE: Certainly. That`s an excellent question, and really, the answer to that question depends on whether or not they`ve had enough information to achieve basically probable cause.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Come on! He was arrested for beating her up allegedly. She was the last...
DEBORDE: Exactly, but that was...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... he`s the last person to see her. And let me get to this.
DEBORDE: That was for a prior incident.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. But let me get to this. One of Debbie`s best friends told Radar Online that Debbie thought Jason was cheating on her when they were dating. Three days before Debbie disappeared, this friend overheard a phone conversation between Debbie and her ex, Jason. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MERRILIZ MONZON, FRIEND OF DEBBIE FLORES-NARVAEZ: It was obvious that it was with her ex. And she kept -- she just kept saying, you know, "Wait for me. Respect me. I want you to wait for me, wait for me to get there." And it was obvious, I feel like, he wanted to resolve something via phone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. And Rachel Uchitel, the day that they had that big fight where he was arrested and accused of beating her, she had gone to an ex- -- one of his ex-girlfriends` homes.
UCHITEL: Yes. I find it really interesting.
Listen, here`s the thing. This is a beautiful girl who every night was on stage not dressed, and men were, you know, loving it. And I think that that makes a lot of boyfriends jealous, that their girlfriends are out there half-nude.
The only way to get back at a woman like that is to get at her self- esteem, and usually, you go to another woman for that. So to me, I think it`s a no-brainer that there`s another woman involved.
I think the way for people to be looking at the evidence here, the car was dropped off by somebody and then somebody had to have a getaway car, right? So I want to know whose footprint is outside of that car. I want to know whose handprints -- fingerprints are on the steering wheel. I think that there`s a lot of evidence in that car, but I don`t think there was any foul play inside that car.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Listen, this is just a statistic. I have no idea if it relates to this case. It may not. But one of the leading causes of preventable death of pregnant women is murder at the hands of the man who impregnated her. I`m not saying that there`s any connection to this case.
This -- this boyfriend, who allegedly impregnated the missing woman, is not considered a suspect. He and his attorney are invited anytime to come on this show and tell their side of the story.
But Angelica Bridges, why would Debbie keep this information about her being pregnant a secret from her own family? You heard the sister say she found out about it just today going to a news station.
BRIDGES: Yes. She`s the same way with her family at the stage and her family at work. Very, very private. Always there, you know, to do her job. She doesn`t want to upset anyone. She was always thinking of other people before herself.
So definitely, I can`t -- I can`t see her confiding in any of her co- workers about him, you know, hurting her or harming her or her being pregnant.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So I guess what you`re saying is she was not an open book. She was a person who...
BRIDGES: No, not at all.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... protected her privacy.
BRIDGES: And very professional.
UCHITEL: Also, Jane, if I can jump in.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.
UCHITEL: Jane, I can say one thing. You know, don`t forget she has a coveted spot in the "Fantasy" show. If she`s pregnant, that affects her future. It affects her job. It affects her life. So that was probably a really big deal on why she didn`t choose to tell anybody.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Of course. Yes, you can`t be pregnant and do a semi- nude show. I mean, you can, but I don`t think that that`s the way it`s designed in the show.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And she could lose her job. It`s an interesting question as to whether that would be some kind of discrimination lawsuit.
But Debbie Flores-Narvaez appeared in a music video with her now-ex- boyfriend. Now, he has been described as an aspiring performer/rapper. It`s pretty racy video, but here`s one part we can show you from YouTube. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
D. FLORES-NARVAEZ: You want to go there?
GRIFFITH: Yes!
D. FLORES-NARVAEZ: Oh, I got you, I got you!
GRIFFITH: Oh!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Casey Jordan, looking at that, what does that tell you about their relationship? There`s a lot of physicality just in this video where they`re elbowing each other.
JORDAN: Well, you`ve got to remember it`s a former relationship. But you don`t know how much of that video is just play acting and how much of it really shows how they got along. They`re playing a video game, but yes it`s physical. They`re bumping each other. They`re kind of, you know, wrestling around.
The real question is, what happened after that video? The complete demise of their relationship, was there jealousy, was there another girl he was seeing? And did he want this baby or did he not want her to keep this baby from the unplanned pregnancy?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Chet Buchanan...
JORDAN: That is really the situation you`re looking at.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... what are cops telling you? Because I find it jaw-dropping that they`re saying that there`s no indication of foul play here. It really almost insults our intelligence.
I mean, I hope to be wrong. I hope she saunters into that show and says, "I just decided to take a little vacation." But somehow I doubt it.
BUCHANAN: Yes. I kind of doubt it, as well. But as you go along, also what Metro and what -- what other -- what a lawyer will tell you, it`s not what we believe right now -- and I know that we all look at the boyfriend and we all say, "That`s the one," because we all want to try and figure it out like the end of a -- like the end of a "Law & Order" episode or something like that.
It`s not what you believe. It`s what you can prove. And right now, I don`t know that they can prove anything. And they want to make sure that when they go in and they get the search warrant, and when they want to make this guy a suspect, that they have all of their ducks in a row, so to speak. I think that`s what they`re doing.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you, fantastic panel. Nancy Grace has the very latest next.
Also, we have a doctor slapped with a harassment complaint by three women who work with for him. They`re going to join me next. Unbelievable.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LATICE SUTTON, MOTHER OF MITRICE RICHARDSON: This is my baby that I`ve raised. This is my life. This -- she`s my future that I bred. Give me the courtesy to make me aware so that I don`t have to learn about the possibilities of these bones through reporters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, the mother of beauty queen Mitrice Richardson wants her daughter`s body exhumed.
Mitrice was last seen in September of 2009 when she was arrested for not paying an $89 dinner tab. Even though she was acting quite bizarrely, Mitrice was released from the Malibu sheriff`s station alone in the dead of night with no money, no car, no cell phone. She was never seen alive again. Months later, Mitrice`s skeleton was found in a remote area of Malibu canyon.
Tonight her mom, Latice Sutton, says she believes her daughter was murdered and says the cops completely fouled up the crime scene. The sheriff`s office admits they moved Mitrice`s body before the coroner arrived at the scene. That was one reason why the coroner couldn`t determine cause of death. Why would cops do that? Something isn`t adding up here. Will exhuming Mitrice`s body prove the young woman was murdered?
Straight out to Mitrice`s mom, Latice Sutton.
Latice, you want to know what happened to your daughter. Why do you think the sheriff`s office did not handle the crime scene properly?
SUTTON: Well, because I know from my own independent examination that I had of my daughter`s remains that vital evidence that should have been analyzed was not even a concern of law enforcement.
As a matter of fact, they all suspected that the clothing had been buried, the clothing that was found approximately 400 feet from Mitrice`s body, because Mitrice`s body was naked. The detectives never even took it to the crime lab for any type of analysis of any evidence that may have been on the clothing, that would suggest if, perhaps, those clothes were removed from her body before death.
Did -- did she decompose in the clothing? Well, you would have to test the clothes to see if there was any decomposition matter. Was there any trace evidence? I mean, none of that was done.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: If she had fallen and it was an accidental death, wouldn`t her bones be crushed by the fall? Was there any evidence of that?
SUTTON: Well, first of all, Jane, there is absolutely no way that anyone could fall to that location. Let me be clear about that. I`ve been there myself personally. You can`t fall to that location. You have to be taken -- you know, led to that location. You can`t just fall into that location.
And, yes, the rocks would have broken up her body on the way down. There`s no way. She didn`t fall.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Now, there are reports you came across a finger bone during a memorial service there, and you also claim that they didn`t test hair found near Mitrice`s body?
SUTTON: That is absolutely correct. The coroner`s office, from -- from what I know and based on their report, it seemed like the main motivation was to identify that it was a female, her age, and that, you know, we need to confirm if this is Mitrice Richardson.
There was foreign hair matter that was never analyzed that could possibly be a clue into who more than likely murdered Mitrice. There was foreign matter contained in that hair. They don`t know if that hair was Mitrice`s. Mitrice`s body was naked. They didn`t take any pubic hair to look for any possible evidence of a rape.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Latice, we`ve got to leave it right there. But you know we`re on your side in terms of getting justice for your daughter. Come back soon. We`re staying on top of this.
Three women fight back against their former boss. They say he is a pervert.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: An accused perverted doctor gets slammed with a harassment complaint by three women who worked for him. They say this man offered them gynecological exams and even exposed himself. But that`s not the worst of it. Tonight I will talk to the three alleged victims about this unbelievable nightmare in a national prime-time exclusive.
Plus, just when you thought Lindsay Lohan is on the right track, another explosive story. Tonight, the actress is a suspect in a criminal battery investigation. The alleged victim: a staffer at her rehab clinic. I`ll get the inside scoop live tonight from Lindsay`s father.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMANTHA ROMANGER, ALLEGES SEXUAL HARASSMENT: Out of nowhere just zipped his pants and pulled it out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, explosive, scandalous claims against a Long Island, New York doctor. Three of his former employees, all women, claim he sexually harassed them for months on end. And they`re joining me tonight in a prime-time exclusive.
These women have filed a series of criminal complaints with jaw- dropping -- and I mean jaw-dropping -- allegations against Dr. Edward Kleiner.
Here is a photo of the doctor kissing a female blow-up doll. The women say Dr. Kleiner brought the doll to a work party and simulated sex on it.
On another occasion, Dr. Kleiner allegedly grabbed Samantha Romanger`s behind and told her he was taking testosterone to increase the size and girth of his penis. Dr. Kleiner allegedly told the office manager Shivon Super that her breasts looked nice and big. Receptionist Lauren Schlanger said the doctor pointed out her nice behind and boobs.
Now, if you think all of those allegations are disturbing, stick with us. Just wait until you hear about the episode these women say led to their firing.
I am very, very delighted to welcome Laura Schlanger, Shivon Super, Samantha Romanger and their attorney Lenard Leeds. By the way, we made every effort to get a response from Dr. Kleiner. He did not return our calls.
However, if he ever wants to come on this show to tell his side of the story, he is invited at anytime.
Now, in October the doctor allegedly fired all three of you. We`re going to start with Samantha. What specific incident are you saying led up to your firing?
ROMANGER: We actually had two patients come into the office for artificial insemination, and the female was a patient of ours, the male was not. And he wanted a fresh sample in order to do this insemination on her. By doing so, he allowed the man to go into the bathroom with his wife. He said he didn`t care how he got the sample and so at that time I decided to --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What was happening in the bathroom? What could you hear?
ROMANGER: I could hear banging against the wall. At that point I was at the front desk with Lauren and I told her --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So, what are you saying, that they had sex. That you thought they were having sex?
ROMANGER: A man and a woman in a bathroom, a sexual act had to be going on to get a semen sample.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. All right. Continue on your story.
ROMANGER: Ok. And at that time I went up to the front desk, spoke to Lauren, told her I don`t think that it`s right for us to go into the room. I don`t think what he was doing was legal.
And he had come up to me and said I want you in the room with me. I said I refuse to go into the room with you. He said, "One of you are coming into that room, end of story." And I refused again. He said, "Well then you no longer work here." That`s how I got fired.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, who else saw this? Did Lauren Schlanger, did you see it?
LAUREN SCHLANGER, ALLEGES SEXUAL HARASSMENT: Yes, I saw it.
ROMANGER: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lauren, what did you hear coming out of that bathroom? Because I read reports that there were sounds.
SCHLANGER: There was banging against I guess the wall. The office is very small. You could -- it`s about the size of this room, you know? The bathroom is like 2 x 4. The patients could hear it. You could hear it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What were you hearing?
SCHLANGER: It was just disgusting. Banging. Consistently going on and we called our manager, Shivon. We didn`t know what to do. She told us, you know, if he told you to leave -- he texted her and told her that -- to find two new girls to work there, that we no longer worked there.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lenard Leeds, my first question is why is a bone doctor -- I think that`s what he is -- doing an insemination procedure? And have you been able to contact the couple who was allegedly involved in this insemination procedure and the alleged sex in the bathroom?
LENARD LEEDS, LAWYER: We think this is all improper. We haven`t been able to locate that couple, but this is an osteopath. He`s not a fertility expert. Why is he doing artificial insemination?
The way he treated these girls was outrageous. They were subject to a course of conduct over three years. I want a jury to hear these allegations because this really is a case that cries out for punitive damages.
We have a really strong case here because this is something that was persistent and it went on for almost three years with respect to some of these individuals.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, the women that you are sitting with there, these three women, said the harassment continued even after they left work. Here is a series of text messages Shivon says she got from Dr. Kleiner.
"I was just going to attack you. Now you can tell me to go to hell or just as usual ignore my sexual advances. Shivon, can we please have an affair? You are a really good person and I become more and more attracted to you every day. I`m sorry. I`ll do sexual favors for you to make up for it."
Now, Shivon, after allegedly getting messages like that, how did you come to work every day and face this guy?
SHIVON SUPER, ALLEGES SEXUAL HARASSMENT: I did what I had to do, you know? The economy is bad. I needed money. I put up with what I had to put up with, I dealt with it in order to put food on my table, I guess. You know? I didn`t enjoy it. I didn`t make him feel like it was ok to do it to me. I did not lead this man on. But it happened, and don`t know what else to say.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me ask you about this blow-up doll. Who was there at the party where he brought this blow-up doll? Lauren, do you want to handle that one?
SCHLANGER: We were all there.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tell us about the doll. Describe it. Paint a picture of what happened that upset you.
SCHLANGER: He brought it to a restaurant across the street which was having a Christmas party. He was fondling it, touching it, pouring drinks down its body. He tied it to the chair. It was embarrassing.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did he simulate sexual activity on it?
SCHLANGER: I don`t -- I have no idea. He was touching it in the restaurant. I don`t know what he does behind closed doors.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: No. What I mean is you say he was touching it. Was he touching it in a sexual way?
SCHLANGER: Yes. He was -- I would assume so. He was humping it. He was humping it.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s put these ladies on camera. Who else was speaking there? I think it was maybe Samantha. What was happening with the doll? Paint a picture.
SUPER: He was humping it, groping it in front of people in a public restaurant/bar. Putting drinks in its mouth and it was spilling down it. Just acting very inappropriate, you know?
I didn`t focus on him the entire time because I was a little embarrassed, the fact that we were with him. But, you know, he was groping it acting like, you know, in a sexual nature.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What were some of the things that he did allegedly at the office? I mean, paint a picture. You`re talking to your friend saying, here is how -- this is the situation I`m dealing with. Can you elaborate in people terms?
SUPER: I`ve often told my friends, you know, I ran frequently. He would often comment on my thighs about how they were so tight, they were the tightest thighs he had ever felt. Then he would proceed to tell me on several occasions in front of all the people that if the muscles in my thighs were that tight, that meant the muscles in my vagina were that tight.
He would often ask me to marry him, to date him. He wanted to adopt my son. Just very random, far-fetched questions.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s go to Laura Schlanger, what did he do and say to you that you allege?
SCHLANGER: He told me that he liked my body. He would text my boyfriend on occasion, tell him how lucky he was and the things that he wished to do to me. I actually one night was walking my dog and I saw him standing in front of my boyfriend`s house with the car running, the door open in the middle of the street. When I asked him what he was doing, he kind of just freaked out and ran away. I`m like -- the next day when I asked him why he was there, he didn`t have an answer for me.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m going to go to the attorney, Lenard Leeds, have you been able to corroborate any of this alleged inappropriate behavior by contacting others who may have seen it or experienced it? Because some would say this might turn out to be a he said/she said?
LEEDS: Well, you know what? My office has been ringing off the hook this afternoon as a result of people contacting us and claiming that they have similar experiences.
In fact, we`ve been contacted by some patients. One indicated that she was filing a complaint or had filed a complaint in the past. I think the text messages really corroborate a lot of these allegations.
But I`m sure that people are going to come out of the woodwork. This case has been getting a lot of press. And if, in fact, these allegations are true, you`re going to see a lot of people coming forward.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Let me ask Lauren one last question. The allegation is that Dr. Kleiner allegedly exposed his genitals while he was alone in an examination room with you? Tell us about that.
SCHLANGER: He pulled it out. I don`t know what else to say about it. It was embarrassing.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So you were just -- I mean, just out of no -- out of nowhere? There was nothing going on? That -- it was just -- tell me.
SCHLANGER: He -- I don`t even -- it`s embarrassing.
ROMANGER: It happened at the end of the day.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Beg your pardon?
ROMANGER: It happened at the end of the day.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.
ROMANGER: You know, the office was closed.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ladies, we`re going to have to leave it there. But you are all very brave for coming out and speaking out we`re going to stay on top of this story. We`re not going anywhere with this. Thank you.
Is Lindsay Lohan now a suspect in a criminal battery investigation? Her dad, Michael, speaks next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDSAY LOHAN, ACTRESS: I know that I was ordered to go once a week, and it wasn`t -- you know, I wasn`t missing the classes just -- I wouldn`t do anything like that.
I was working mostly, and in Morocco, the trip, I was working with children. It wasn`t a vacation. It wasn`t some sort of joke. And I respect you and I`ve been taking you seriously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, breaking news. Cat fights, stalkers, clubbing. Oh, my. Even in rehab, Lindsay Lohan just can`t escape all the dramarama. The starlet is back in the spotlight in a big way.
TMZ reporting Lilo was at the center of a late-night brawl that broke out at, of all places, the Betty Ford Rehab Center.
Lindsay allegedly came in ten minutes past her curfew and then furiously -- allegedly -- pushed a female staff member who tried to make her take a breathalyzer test.
Dawn Holland, a chemical technician at the Betty Ford Clinic, says Lindsay came home late, hopped a wall and pushed her when she tried to test her blood alcohol, severely hurting her wrist.
She tells TMZ she could smell booze on Lindsay`s breath and that Lindsay also hurled a phone at her. Cops got a call from the clinic at about 1:00 in the morning and responded to a report of hand to hand battery with Lohan as the prime suspect. Rumors are swirling that she was out bar- hopping that night with her rehab roommate.
Say what? It`s called rehab. Lindsay still has two weeks left in rehab. Is she already back on the club scene?
Now we are going to get her side of the story straight from her father, Michael, who as you can see is joining us live and raring to give his side of the story.
Plus, is Lindsay also afraid of a stalker? You will not believe who she fears could be out to get her.
We`re going to begin with Mike Walters, managing editor with TMZ. Mike, you`ve been breaking some news on this. What do you claim went down?
MIKE WALTERS, MANAGING EDITOR, TMZ: Well, Jane, Lindsay`s in big trouble here. What happened was Lindsay and a few roommates went out. Now, there`s a difference of where they went, but it doesn`t matter. They went out, they came back late, after their curfew, when they were talked to by a staff member, basically they smelled alcohol.
So a chemical technician came in to give breathalyzers. Lindsay refused the test. The other two did not. During that heated exchange, apparently it got violent. Now, what we`re being told by Dawn who you mentioned Holland, the technician is, Lindsay called 911 because she felt the situation was getting intense.
On that 911 phone call, you can hear Lindsay and the technician who picked up the other line arguing against each other with the police on the phone, Jane. And during this confrontation is when she alleges Lindsay pushed her, then grabbed the phone off of her ear --
(CROSSTALK)
MICHAEL LOHAN, LINDSAY LOHAN`S FATHER: Yes, right.
WALTERS: -- injuring her wrist. That is what the technician says. She wrote this to the officials at Betty Ford.
M. LOHAN: Yes ok.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok.
M. LOHAN: I`ve had enough already.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, hold, hold on -- hold on one second. Because you`ve told your side, but Michael Lohan, who is Lindsay Lohan`s father, is here. And we want to be fair.
Michael, you have another perspective on this whole story. Let`s hear your perspective.
M. LOHAN: Well, with all due respect to Michael and I respect Michael a lot. He`s actually a friend of mine. This all got blown out of proportion because as you said this had something to do with Sam Lutvee stalking -- stalking Lindsay. That was not the case. He was never the stalker. And it just perpetuated into more and more.
What has transpired since then is nothing but a pack of lies. First of all, if this woman hurt, I mean, if Lindsay took a phone her -- from this woman`s wrist, how -- how -- how did that require any medical attention? Secondly, why would Lindsay call the police in to investigate this if Lindsay pushed the woman? The fact is this -- Lindsay came into the house. She did not refuse a breathalyzer. She took it. She never -- never tested positive.
And now you have a woman under the employ of Betty Ford where HIPAA laws and where confidentiality is so imperative and so important in this industry, in this whole realm, and she`s going to TMZ and giving an on-air interview? I don`t know if this woman is personally liable or if Betty Ford is. I respect Betty Ford.
Lindsay -- I was with Lindsay on Sunday, she in a better place in it than she ever was in her life as far as I`m concerned.
But I will tell you this. This is absolutely ludicrous. I can`t believe that these lies are being hurled around like this. And I can`t believe that this woman actually went on the record and she`s on disability with an injured wrist. If people can`t see that Lindsay has two weeks left and this woman had indifference to Lindsay since she got there --
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right -- Michael --
WALTERS: Michael -- Michael --
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- I -- I hear what you`re --
(CROSSTALK)
WALTERS: -- the workers -- the workers comp is from this injury, from this incident, number one. Number two, in all due respect, and I do like Mike Lohan, Dina Lohan according to the incident report was on the telephone with Lindsay telling her daughter not to take a breathalyzer, also advising her not to let the other women to take one.
M. LOHAN: Oh, I mean, whoa, whoa who. So we`re talking about Dina enabling even now when she`s in a rehab? That`s par for the course and I believe that.
(CROSSTALK)
WALTERS: That`s in the incident report.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me -- let -- let me jump in here guys. And I want to say --
(CROSSTALK)
M. LOHAN: Don`t take a breathalyzer. Great, Dina.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: This is what -- Lindsay`s fifth -- this is Lindsay`s fifth stint in rehab.
Howard Samuels, listen, I want Lindsay to get sober. And I`m on her side. But she has a credibility issue. She`s been out, spotted clubbing with her scram bracelet on even though she`s holding an energy drink.
(CROSSTALK)
M. LOHAN: Yes absolutely.
COOPER: But then the scram bracelet goes on and she says --
M. LOHAN: Ok.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- somebody spilled a drink on it. She misses a crucial court hearing because she`s in France and she says she lost her passport.
At a certain point, you develop a credibility problem, Howard Samuels, do you not?
HOWARD SAMUELS, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: Well, I think that you do. I mean, you know, bad behavior is bad behavior. But let me say this, there are four cardinal rules in a treatment center that are most important.
M. LOHAN: Thank you Howard.
SAMUELS: No drugs or alcohol, no sex, no threats of physical violence, and no physical violence. So the fact that physical violence has occurred, if it was started by the client, then the client is always discharged. If it is started by the employee, then the employee should have been fired.
Now the fact that we don`t know what`s happened here is anybody`s guess. But the fact that --
M. LOHAN: Why is she on disability then, Howard?
Samuels: -- the client has not been discharged is sort of interesting from Betty Ford`s point of view.
M. LOHAN: Well, let me ask you this, Howard -- Jane, if I may. Howard, you`re in the treatment business yourself. Would any of your employees ever be allowed to make statements on camera if they were on disability or not? Without the proper --
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: More on the other side. You can answer it on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tell me about how you are working to save the environment. If we feature your e-mail, we will send you one of these fabulous ISSUES eco-canisters so you can ditch this plastic, which is destroying the planet. If you have an interesting green improvement, send them to cnn.com/Jane. Let`s all be part of the solution. Let`s all go green.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
L. LOHAN: I did do everything that I was told to do and did the best I could to, you know, balance jobs and showing up -- I`m sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, did Lindsay Lohan get in a heated cat fight at rehab? TMZ reporting Lindsay hit a female staffer, and she apparently talked to TMZ, which raises the question, Jennifer Gimenez, you were the former house manager of VH1`S "Sober House", is there, as Lindsay`s dad, Michael, asks, a confidentiality clause that says, if you work at one of these places, you can`t go to the media and start complaining about a client.
JENNIFER GIMENEZ, FORMER HOUSE MANAGER, VH1`S SOBER HOUSE: You know, absolutely there is. And I just -- I find it appalling that this woman would go on TMZ and tell her story. If she had a problem, she should have gone to the heads of Betty Ford and actually said what was going on. And they should have handled this matter, instead of going in front of the media and antagonizing the situation.
You know, I feel like everyone`s trying --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go ahead.
GIMENEZ: I`m sorry. I just feel like everyone`s trying to find their five minutes of fame here, when if this is -- I would be mortified, if that was me. That somebody would go and tell my secrets. Like a doctor or someone who works at the facility.
M. M. LOHAN: Thank you. Thank you, Jennifer.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, look, Michael, they tell you in 12-step programs, and as everyone knows by now, I`m a recovering alcoholic with more than 15 years of sobriety. You need to avoid the people --
M. LOHAN: I respect everything about you.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you, and I respect you. That`s why we have a good conversation. This is not an attack. But you`re supposed to avoid the people, places, and things that can trigger a relapse.
M. LOHAN: I agree.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, the reports are that she was out at a bar. And I`m not saying she was, but there had been in the past, no denying when she was trying to get sober. There were numerous times when there were photos of her at the nightclubs, hanging out with an energy drink, and her alcohol monitoring bracelet on.
And we found a whole bunch of these photos of her out there, out and about. Now, in early sobriety, going to clubs is a really bad idea.
(CROSSTALK)
M. LOHAN: You`re absolutely right, but Jane, you`re absolutely right, 100 percent. That`s when Lindsay was not sober for over 100 days, when she didn`t have four years -- shall four months of counseling under her belt, and that was when she wasn`t in the place she is now.
Lindsay did not go to a bar; she was in a hair salon. Lindsay did not -- there was no house party, like reported. Now they`re saying that there was a party in the house.
They don`t have any of their facts straight. The facts are this. Lindsay got her hair done, she was with two other girls; the other girls went their own way. If they drank or not that is not my concern. Lindsay did not get drunk with them.
They met up. They were a little late. Got back to the house, ten minutes late, and this woman accosted Lindsay and said, you`re taking a breathalyzer. And Lindsay said get your hands off me and she pushed her back in defense.
Then the woman gets on the phone while Lindsay`s on the phone talking to her mother. And I`m appalled if you`re telling me, if what you`re telling me is true, that Dina would say, don`t take a breathalyzer. Is she enabling Lindsay while she`s in a rehab too?
I mean give me break. I didn`t even know this. But the fact of the matter is, Lindsay did test, after a little while, she tested clean. So for them to say she was drinking, they`re wrong.
But as Jennifer said, the biggest issue here is the confidentiality, and this stuff that`s getting out now is hurting Lindsay --
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`ve got to leave it right there. We`re out of time.
M. LOHAN: Ok.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But thank you. Let`s hope Lindsay is going to stay sober.
END
