MARCH 6, 2001 STATEMENT OF L. LIN WOOD

I am out of my law office this week and will be unavailable to answer specific press inquiries about the filing this week of a libel lawsuit by Linda Hoffman-Pugh, one of the former housekeepers of my clients, John and Patsy Ramsey.

Immediately after the tragic murder of JonBenét, Ms. Hoffman-Pugh publicly described Patsy Ramsey as a wonderful person and loving mother who was not capable of harming her daughter. "Patsy's just the most wonderful person I've ever met in my life," she told Geraldo Rivera on national TV in 1997.

I have reviewed a copy of Ms. Hoffman-Pugh's complaint. I am also familiar with her recent statements for which she was paid, published in supermarket tabloids. Ms. Hoffman-Pugh is also actively seeking a publisher for a book by her about the Ramsey family. It should be obvious to any person familiar with her history that Ms. Hoffman-Pugh has sold out the truth about the Ramsey family for tabloid money and personal financial gain. In statements to the Associated Press in February 1999, Ms. Hoffman-Pugh was very clear what was motivating her to change her story:

"I'm tired of being used while everyone else is getting rich on this case. I think it's time for me to start making some money, too. This is the last free interview."

"Once I ran into a TV photographer in Boulder who told me he'd paid off his car, his house and his boat with money he got from the Ramsey story. A lot of people are making a lot of money."

When approached to sell her story for money and after receiving sums estimated in the tens of thousands of dollars, Ms. Hoffman-Pugh's description of Patsy Ramsey, and her fourteen-month experience as the Ramseys' housekeeper, dramatically changed to include the false accusations now set forth in her lawsuit and in her recent tabloid interviews. Ms. Hoffman-Pugh is not worthy of belief as a witness and her lawsuit is a frivolous publicity stunt. Her allegations are totally unsupported in fact. The discussion of Ms. Hoffman-Pugh in the Ramseys' book, The Death of Innocence, and the police investigation of her described therein, are accurate statements of fact.

I urge responsible members of the media to thoroughly investigate Ms. Hoffman-Pugh and her history before commenting publicly on her lawsuit and being used by her to further disseminate falsehoods for her personal financial gain.

NEITHER MY CLIENTS OR I WILL BE MAKING ANY FURTHER COMMENT ABOUT THIS CASE AT THIS TIME OR UPON THE FILING OF THIS FRIVOLOUS COMPLAINT.