LAST EDITED ON Sep-13-02 AT 00:10 AM (EST)
 
By order dated September 11, 2002, Judge Carnes denied Steve Thomas' motion for a protective order in which he moved that his deposition, in its entirety, be deemed confidential and not be disclosed publicly. The Court found that Thomas had not shown "good cause" to keep his deposition sealed.

The Court allowed Thomas 20 days to file "a particularized motion for good cause, explaining why specified sections of the testimony are entitled to remain sealed."

In a footnote that suggests that the Court may not be inclined to accept Thomas's statements alone in support of a contention that revealing portions of his deposition publicly would harm the JonBenet Ramsey investigation, the Court noted, "Depending on the substance of any motion made by movant Thomas, the Court may also seek the input of current law enforcement and investigative officials who are responsible for the investigation of JonBenet Ramsey's murder."

Old story
Attorneys move to block release of deposition

By Pam Regensberg
Camera Staff Writer

Attorneys for a former Boulder detective involved in the JonBenét Ramsey murder investigation
moved
Tuesday to block his deposition in a related case from becoming public.
An attorney for John and Patsy Ramsey promised to fight Steve Thomas' assertion that the
deposition,
conducted Sept. 21 in Denver, is confidential.
L. Lin Wood, based in Atlanta, also said Tuesday that depositions of high-ranking officials, including
Police
Chief Mark Beckner and former District Attorney Alex Hunter, involved in the nearly 5-year-old
homicide are
to come.
The deposition is part of a lawsuit filed by former Boulder County journalist Chris Wolf against the
Ramseys. In their book about the 1996 murder of their daughter, John and Patsy Ramsey named Wolf
and
a former housekeeper, Linda Hoffman-Pugh, as suspects in the case.
Wood termed Thomas' attempt at keeping the deposition private the "height of hypocrisy" and
something
the federal court in Georgia will not tolerate.
"This is a man who has written a book accusing my clients of murder," Wood said. "Steve Thomas does
not want the public to know the truth. When truth comes out, the people who were attacking the
Ramseys
want to run from the truth."
Wood said his clients want everything put on the table and the murder file made public.
In that vein, Wood has subpoenaed Thomas' files related to the investigation, including some Boulder
police reports related to the murder case.
Thomas was out of the state and could not be reached for comment. His attorney in Atlanta, Sean R.
Smith, did not return a telephone call to the Daily Camera.
Thomas was one of several investigators on the Ramsey case. The 6-year-old was found beaten and
strangled in the basement of her family's home Dec. 26, 1996. No one has been charged with the
crime.
Thomas, who resigned from the Boulder Police Department in 1998, wrote a book about the
investigation,
alleging that Patsy Ramsey killed her daughter. The Ramseys filed a libel lawsuit against Thomas in
March.
In a one-page fax to Wood's office on Tuesday, Thomas' attorneys in Los Angeles said their client's
deposition is confidential based on sections of the confidentiality order entered by U.S. District Court
Judge Julie E. Carnes in Atlanta.
"It is my clear belief that when the public learns about his testimony, they will realize Steve Thomas ...
would have been fired in 1997, probably prosecuted, without question disgraced and would not have
been in
a position to write a book and make hundreds of thousand of dollars," Wood said.

October 17, 2001