Marines seek gag order in case of corporal whose family says she has PTSD after sexual assault

The government’s attorneys argue in their motion that statements made to The Pilot about Ohu’s mental health and previous sexual assault allegation are outside the scope of her current legal woes.

Ohu’s attorney is Eric Montalvo of the Washington-based Federal Practice Group. He previously served in the Marine Corps for over two decades, including as a prosecutor.

“The default position in the law is that the courtroom is an open forum,” Montalvo told The Pilot on Tuesday when asked about the gag order motion. “There are mechanisms to close it when appropriate ... but a standing order for no publicity or commentary to be made does not seem like it should apply in this case.”

He added that through Ohu’s Article 32 hearing in July — attended by a Pilot reporter — the government has been the source of much of the publicized information in the case, “so I’m not understanding the position they’re now taking.”

The victim in the case, Ohu’s ex-boyfriend Michael Hinesley, who’s also a Marine, previously asked officials not to pursue the charges, telling them he believed everything that happened could be tied to her service-related trauma.