Lawsuit Filed Against Attorney John Gillespie for Using Law Firm to Sex Traffic Women and Children
Attorney Turned his Law Firm(s) into a Sex Trafficking Venture Spanning Decades
ORLANDO - February 8, 2022 - The Haba Law Firm filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of four (4) women who were trafficked and sexually battered in Florida by Attorney John Gillespie, his accomplices, and two of the law firms use to facilitate this horrific abuse.
Gillespie use his position as a lawyer to create a sex trafficking venture. As early as 2002, Gillespie hired vulnerable women as legal assistants who were trained and manipulated to recruit young girls in clubs to meet Gillespie and engage in sexual activity with him.
In 2002, Plaintiff E.M. was a 16-year-old runaway who was recruited to come “dance” for an attorney at his office in Osceola County. When she arrived, Gillespie drugged the child and sexually battered her while she was powerless to resist.
In 2013, Jane Doe No. 1 was a 15-year-old child who was sold by her pimp to Gillespie for sex in exchange for Gillespie to represent the pimp in a criminal case. Gillespie sexually battered this minor child in his office in Osceola County.
From 2012 – 2016, Jane Doe No. 2 was threatened and forced to have commercial sex with strangers. Jane Doe No. 2 was threatened that if she did not comply, she would lose her children and that Gillespie would ensure that occurred because he was a lawyer. Jane Doe No. 2’s children are still missing.
Finally, from 2019-2020, Gillespie offered family law assistance to help Jane Doe No. 3 get her children back. He not only failed to act, resulting in the loss of her children, but he used this as an opportunity to increase Jane Doe No. 3’s addiction to opiates and then forced and coerced her to engage in commercial sex acts at his home in Brevard County.
“As an attorney, Gillespie worked with some of the most vulnerable members of our society. He had a duty to fight for his clients; instead, he exploited their vulnerabilities and used his role as an attorney to threaten and harm them.” said Lisa Haba, partner with the Haba Law Firm.
Gillespie did not act alone. Over the years, he had many accomplices that helped him maintain and operate his sex trafficking venture.
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About The Haba Law Firm, P.A.
The Haba Law Firm, located in the Greater Orlando area of Florida, provides excellence in civil litigation on behalf of human trafficking and sexual abuse survivors. Haba Law prides itself on its aggressive and effective representation, honesty, and trauma-informed, victim centered advocacy. The unparalleled knowledge and experience with human trafficking and sexual abuse has resulted in partner Lisa Haba receiving numerous awards and recognitions for her legal work with survivors of human trafficking and sexual abuse.