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Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document 499 _ Filed 11/23/21 Page 12 of 28
The government hopes Dr. Rocchio will fill in the gaps in the accusers’ stories by lending
the imprimatur of an “expert” to their allegations. The likely importance of her testimony to the
government’s case cannot be overstated.* Dr. Dietz, who the government admits is supremely
qualified, should be allowed to challenge the reliability of Dr. Rocchio’s opinions, explain why
they lack support, and opine about their limits. See Brooklyn Waterfront Terminal Corp. v. Int’l
Terminal Operating Co., 211 F. Supp. 702, 707 (S.D.N.Y.), aff'd sub nom. Brooklyn Waterfront
Terminal Corp. v. Int’l Terminal Operating Co. Inc., 311 F.2d 221 (2d Cir. 1962) (‘As in all
cases, this sharp conflict between the experts must be resolved by the trier of the fact.’’).
B. Hindsight Bias.
The government appears to have two objections about Dr. Dietz’s opinions on hindsight
bias: First, that the testimony improperly attempts to inform the jury what result to reach, and
second that the testimony is “well within the ken of the average juror.” Mot. at 13-14. The
government does not dispute the reliability of Dr. Dietz’s opinions, and as explained below, Dr.
Dietz’s testimony is independently relevant and relevant in response to Dr. Rocchio’s testimony.
The government’s first argument once again misunderstands Dr. Dietz’s point. Dr.
Dietz’s opinion is about grooming. In his expert opinion, and at most, behavior can be labeled
“srooming” only after the fact and retrospectively—that is, only after it is clear abuse occurred.
Ex. 1, p 4-5. But the government’s burden in this case is to prove that, at the time the abuse
allegedly occurred, Ms. Maxwell knew about it and intended to facilitate it. If Ms. Maxwell
* So important are Dr. Dietz’s and Dr. Loftus’s opinions to the defense that the failure to
consult with and call them as witnesses would amount to ineffective assistance of counsel. See
Gersten v. Senkowski, 426 F.3d 588, 607-08 (2d Cir. 2005) (defense counsel was ineffective in
failing “to call as a witness, or even to consult in preparation for trial and cross-examination of
the prosecution’s witnesses, any medical expert on child sexual abuse’).
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| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00007477.jpg |
| File Size | 747.4 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 94.0% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 2,248 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 17:23:46.526712 |