Ex-Dodgers Star Yasiel Puig’s Withdrawn Plea Deal Off Limits at Trial Says Judge

On October 4, 2023, the California federal judge overseeing the Puig case refused to reconsider its previous order barring prosecutors from using a retracted plea deal by former Major League Baseball star Yasiel Puig in his upcoming trial on charges of obstruction of justice and making false statements.

Partner Keri Curtis Axel told Law360 that she was “pleased that Puig will receive a trial on the merits” after U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee said in her order that she will not “further address” federal prosecutors’ claim that the Cuban-born, Spanish-speaking Puig waived the argument that the plea’s factual statement is inadmissible under Federal Rule of Evidence 410.

The judge previously found the plea agreement unenforceable and its factual statement inadmissible, and she reaffirmed that ruling, extending it to bar use of the factual statement on impeachment in response to Waymaker’s arguments. The case is USA v. Puig Valdes in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and Puig is represented by Waymaker lawyers Keri Curtis Axel, Jose Nuño, Emily Stierwalt, and Riley Smith. The matter is set for trial January 16, 2024.