Man Accused of Raping Woman in East Hampton Waives Right to Jury

Jason Lee, a Goldman Sachs executive accused of raping a 20-year-old Irish woman at his rental home in East Hampton back in 2013, waived his right to a jury in court on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.

Instead, he will have his case heard and adjudicated by Judge Barbara Kahn in Suffolk County Criminal Court starting on Wednesday, April 8, according to 27east.

On Monday, April 6, the jury selection for the trial will begin.

Lee was arraigned on a three-count indictment, including first-degree rape, sexual misconduct and third-degree assault, in Suffolk County Criminal Court in September 2013, according to a former Patch report.

His lawyer, Edward Burke Jr. said the sex between the woman at Lee, a 37-year-old married man, was consensual.

The woman, who was visiting from Ireland, claims he attacked her in the bathroom of his house after a celebration of Lee’s 37th birthday at Georgica restaurant in Wainscott, which is where he met the woman, buying her and friends drinks throughout the night.

He invited her and some friends back to his Clover Leaf Lane summer rental at about 4 a.m. where the woman told police Lee was naked when he tried to follow her into the bathroom. She tried to close the door, but “he shoved it open with enough force to cause her to fall to the floor where Lee immediately pinned her,” according to a statement from DA Thomas Spota’s office.

The woman claims she tried to push Lee off of her, but was unable to stop the rape and eventually she kneed him in the groin, and escaped but Burke rebuffed the claim. “That never happened,” he said.

A police officer, who was called to the house on a false report of a stolen vehicle, was informed of the rape and the woman was taken to a hospital for an exam where a nurse, trained to handle sexual assault cases, found “injuries consistent with the allegations she was making,” according to the report.

Lee was found hiding in his car 45 minutes to an hour later before he was arrested.

Despite the accusations of a violent attack, Burke said Lee was unscathed. “There is not a bump, not a bruise, not a scrape on my client at all.”

“My client is adamant he did not perform these serious allegations upon the complainant,” he said.

In court on Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Shalvey claims that Lee was trying to find a sex partner for most of the night and wanted the events to go into evidence at the trial in order to give a ‘necessary narrative’ to the events of the night, according to Newsday.

It goes to his intent and state of mind,” Shalvey told Newsday.

Before opening statements, Judge Kahn will rule ’on whether these incidents are admissible at trial’, according to Newsday.

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