Jennifer Ann Bonjean (
English: ''Bon ʤiːn''; born ) is an American attorney of sexual assault cases.
Biography
Born in
Valparaiso, Indiana
Valparaiso ( ), colloquially Valpo, is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,151 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.
History
The site of present-day Valparaiso ...
, Bonjean was a classically trained opera singer, and worked at a rape crisis center in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. She studied at
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...
and
Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Loyola University Chicago School of Law is the law school of Loyola University Chicago, a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Chicago. Established in 1908, Loyola University Chicago School of Law offers de ...
.
In 2021, she helped free
Bill Cosby
William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...
on his
sexual assault
Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...
charges. Also in 2021, she was hired by
to attempt to appeal his sentence under the
First Step Act
The First Step Act, formally known as the Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act, is a bipartisan criminal justice bill passed by the 115th U.S. Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in ...
. The request was denied by
Harry Leinenweber. Also in 2021, she represented
Keith Raniere
Keith Allen Raniere ( ; born August 26, 1960) is an American cult leader who was convicted of a pattern of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, racketeering activity, including human trafficking, Sex offender, sex offenses and fr ...
, the founder of
NXIVM
NXIVM ( ) was a cult led by Keith Raniere, who is now a convicted Racketeering, racketeer and sex offender. NXIVM is also the name of the defunct company that Raniere founded in 1998, which provided seminars ostensibly about human potential an ...
. He was sentenced to 120 years in prison.
Bonjean was
R. Kelly's lead lawyer during his
2022 sexual abuse trial. She described Kelly as a "victim of extortion and financial exploitation", and called one of his accusers a pathological liar.
In 2023,
Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein (, ; born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent ...
hired her to defend him in his
sexual abuse case.
Bonjean is known for her aggressive
litigation strategy Litigation strategy is the process by which counsel for one party to a lawsuit intends to integrate their actions with anticipated events and reactions to achieve the overarching goal of the litigation. The strategic goal may be the verdict, or the ...
. She has a "NOT GUILTY" tattoo on her arm. She is a Conservative feminist, and often
trash talks the jury and judge.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonjean, Jennifer
1970s births
Living people
Indiana lawyers
People from Valparaiso, Indiana
21st-century American women lawyers
21st-century American lawyers
Loyola University Chicago School of Law alumni