High-profile lawyer ditches accused rapist real-estate heirs Oren and Alon Alexander after more allegations surface
Jim Ferraro has abruptly stepped down as counsel for real estate mogul Oren Alexander and his twin brother Alon, with lawyer Isabelle Kirshner taking his place.
A prominent south Florida lawyer abruptly withdrew Monday from repping twin accused rapists and real-estate heirs Oren and Alon Alexander.
A well-placed source told The Post that lawyer Jim Ferraro’s decision to step down from the troubling Manhattan case was made at least partly because of his personal ties to the 36-year-old millionaire brothers — not to mention the avalanche of additional accusations that poured in after two women sued the twins over alleged sexual attacks.
The brothers’ new lawyer is Isabelle Kirshner of Clayman Rosenberg Kirshner & Linder of Manhattan.
Alon and Oren Alexander party at a birthday bash at a Hamptons castle in 2011, the year before they allegedly raped a woman there. Matthew Peyton/Getty Images for Peaceman Productions
The twins are accused of taking turns raping women. Aaron Davidson
Kirshner has previously navigated sensitive legal waters, notably brokering a no-jail plea deal for infamous Manhattan gynecologist Robert Hadden, who was convicted of sex-trafficking by luring patients across state lines to sexually abuse them.
The consent to change lawyers in the Alexanders’ case was submitted to Manhattan court Monday, documents show.
Two women, Rebecca Mandel and Kate Whiteman, kicked off the sordid saga in March when they filed separate lawsuits against the Alexanders under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily eliminated the statute of limitations for civil sexual assault claims.
Mandel says in her suit that she was 18 when the brothers took turns raping her at their Manhattan pad in 2010. Whiteman says in her court filing that she was raped by the twins in 2012 in an assault at a castle in the Hamptons on Long Island.
Nearly 30 more women then soon came forward to make similar claims, according to the lawyer representing the plaintiffs.
Out: Lawyer Jim Ferraro. The Ferraro Law Firm
In: Lawyer Isabelle Kirshner. Clayman Rosenberg Kirshner & Linder
Ferraro did not respond to Post requests for comment on leaving the case.
He initially responded to the two women’s lawsuits, though, saying, “We are confident this matter will be resolved in [their] favor given an extensive collection of powerful evidence including, phone records, text messages, emails and other documents whose content clearly debunks these claims.”
The lawyer’s ties to the Alexanders run deep, stretching back over a decade, when he first crossed paths with Oren during a New York City real-estate deal. Their relationship eventually extended beyond business.
The two have been seen partying together in a photo, and Oren has publicly spoken about their close bond. In an interview with the Observer in 2009, he said, “With Jim, I jetted with him to Miami for a weekend. I jetted with him to Martha’s Vineyard for a weekend. I jetted with him to Aspen — that’s when the deal was put together.”
At least 30 more women have come forward accusing the twins of rape after two alleged victims’ civil lawsuits, according to the plaintiffs’ lawyer. Patrick McMullan/PatrickMcMullan
Oren has already announced that he is stepping back from his role at Official, a brokerage firm he co-founded with his brother Tal.
In an effort to distance the company further from the allegations against Oren, Nicole Oge and her partners Richard Jordan and Andrew Wachtfogel have announced they are severing ties with Oren.
The firm is currently in the process of removing him from ownership.