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Hollywood power players are rallying behind embattled LA Olympics Chief Casey Wasserman — even as fresh scrutiny over his past ties to sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell continues to swirl.
At Variety’s Power of Law Breakfast event in Los Angeles on Wednesday, powerhouse attorney Patricia L. Glaser mounted a full-throated defense of the Olympics boss — urging the industry to stand behind him despite the mounting controversy.
“For the L.A. Olympics to be successful, we all need to support Casey,” Glaser said. “I think he’s a terrific executive. I think he knows a tremendous number of people, and he’s pulling things together, and I think he deserves our support.”
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The remarks came just weeks after Wasserman — chairman of the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games — was dragged into headlines following a bombshell release of Epstein-related documents by the Department of Justice.
The trove included eyebrow-raising emails between Wasserman and Maxwell dating back to 2003, in which the married executive wrote, “Where are you, I miss you,” and asked, “Can we book that massage now?” Maxwell, who would later be convicted of grooming girls for Epstein, replied that she thought of him at “inappropriate moments.”
Wasserman has forcefully denied any deeper ties to Epstein, insisting in a statement that “I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.”
“I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light,” he added, acknowledging the now-infamous exchanges.
He also addressed his presence on Epstein’s private jet during a 2002 humanitarian trip tied to the Clinton Foundation, saying, “I am terribly sorry for having any association with either of them.”
That flight — first revealed in a 2003 Vanity Fair report — reportedly included Bill Clinton, Kevin Spacey, Chris Tucker and billionaire Ron Burkle aboard Epstein’s Boeing 727.
Still, inside the industry, some heavyweights appear unfazed.
Glaser — a partner at Glaser Weil who heads its litigation department — doubled down on her support, framing Wasserman as essential to pulling off the high-stakes 2028 Summer Olympics.
She was honored with the Variety 2026 Power of Law Award at the event which recognizes her work as one of the nation’s top business trial lawyers.
English (US)