Parker & Carmody Sued Over NY Post Interview

MANHATTAN (CN) - A former Morgan Stanley banker charged with secretly recording his sexual encounters with women has sued the Parker & Carmody attorney for one alleged victim.

Court records show that John Kelly, 33 or 34, is still fighting the unlawful-surveillance charges for which he was arrested in November 2013. His next appearance in New York criminal court is scheduled for Feb. 19, 2015.

In January 2014, after Kelly's arraignment, the New York Post reported on its interview with an attorney for one of the women Kelly is accused of having secretly recorded.

Westchester-based Kelly filed a $1 million defamation complaint on Jan. 14, 2015, against that attorney, Daniel Parker, and the Madison Avenue firm Parker & Carmody.

"On or about Jan. 17, 2014, defendant Parker made certain factual statements, orally and/or in writing, about Mr. Kelly to the New York Post," the seven-page action filed in New York County Supreme Court states.

Kelly highlights four statements that Parker allegedly told the Post:

"i. 'John C. Kelly ... has been accused by women of putting some of the sex romps on YouTube and other sites';

"ii. 'He used an elaborate system of surveillance using multiple devices in both his bedroom and their homes'';

"iii. 'He left a trail, and it was on YouTube and Vimeo'; and

"iv. 'He even installed a hidden camera in the bookshelf of his East 69th Street apartment.'"

Neither the Post nor its reporter are named as defendants in Kelly's civil complaint, which says the article had been headlined "Morgan Banker's Ruff Sex."

As for the dog pun, an online version of a Post article on Kelly, dated Jan. 16, 2014, quotes Kelly in court papers as saying that he has a "camera set up in my apartment to watch my dog when I'm not there."

Kelly's lawsuit alleges that Parker's statements to the Post "were false and defamatory in that the statements tend to expose Mr. Kelly to ... contempt, ridicule and disgrace, and further tend to discredit Mr. Kelly in the conduct of his profession."

Parker, whom the complaint describes as a Westchester resident, did not return a call seeking comment Friday.

Kelly is represented by Michael Jones with Ivey, Barnum & O'Mara. That firm also employs Kelly's noted civil attorney father, John Q. Kelly.

Courthouse News is awaiting answer on its request for comment from Kelly.

The Post articles, which describe Kelly as a "handsome, blond, blue-eyed Williams College grad," say that he is charged with regard to recordings allegedly made between May 2011 and December 2012.

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