Judge Rules Trevi Can Compel Testimony from Mexican Witnesses in Abuse Lawsuit

Gloria Trevi secured a courtroom win on Wednesday in Los Angeles County, where Judge Jared D. Moses ruled that she can compel testimony from about two dozen witnesses living in Mexico under Mexican court rules. The hearing took place in Pasadena, and Judge Moses ordered Trevi's legal team to coordinate with lawyers for four Jane Doe plaintiffs who accuse her of abuse tied to an alleged sex cult involving her former manager, Sergio Andrade.

Karen Menzies, the lead lawyer for the Jane Does, stated that two of the Mexico-based witnesses Trevi wants to question are alleged survivors of the sex ring. Menzies also noted that five witnesses had already agreed to testify voluntarily. A group of 10 women, led by Modesta Lopez, attended the hearing in support of the plaintiffs, with Lopez expressing concerns about the involvement of Mexican courts in the case.

Menzies appeared by video at the hearing and expressed fears that giving judges in Mexico power over depositions could limit her ability to ask follow-up questions during cross-examination. She stated, 'They don’t necessarily ask all the questions that we request.

' In contrast, Leo Preciado, a lawyer for Trevi, argued that the international treaty governing the process allows the Mexican judge to proceed as he sees fit, regardless of what the parties provide.

The four Jane Doe plaintiffs first sued Trevi in December 2022, alleging that she, along with Andrade and Mary Boquitas, lured them into the alleged sex ring when they were 13 and 15 years old. The lawsuit claims some of the abuse took place in California and was filed at the end of a three-year window that temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for childhood sex abuse claims in California.

Judge Moses indicated that he did not believe the scheduled trial date of October 20 would be feasible due to the number of international depositions still pending, setting a follow-up hearing for July.