Anthony Pellicano Bail Hearing Postponed

"Anthony Pellicano"

The judge overseeing the Anthony Pellicano case has postponed an expected July hearing on the imprisoned Hollywood private eye's request to be released from jail while his appeal winds its way through the courts.

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A stipulation to move the planned bail hearing from July 9 to Aug. 13, which is signed by Pellicano attorney Steven Gruel and U.S. District Attorney Kevin Lally, was filed this week in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles and approved by Judge Dale Fischer. Gruel cites a personal health issue as the reason for the delay. 

"The basis for this request and stipulation is that on or about June 18, 2012, Mr. Gruel suffered a detached retina in his left eye," the court papers read. Gruel subsequently had surgery and is being monitored by doctors.

As The Hollywood Reporter previously reported, Pellicano, 68, filed a motion in early June asking to be freed from a federal penitentiary in Texas while he appeals his conviction and 15-year sentence for possession of firearms, wiretapping and racketeering. Pellicano argues that two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions “completely eviscerate the government’s convictions,” according to court papers. Pellicano also contends that his advancing age (and, coincidentally, an eye condition) render him not a threat to flee or to bother those who accused him of wiretapping and other forms of threats and harassment. 

STORY: Anthony Pellicano Pleads for Early Jail Release

The request for bail irked some victims of the former Hollywood sleuth, whose 2008 trial featured testimony from the likes of CAA co-founder Michael Ovitz, Paramount's Brad Grey and actor-comedian Chris Rock. Anita Busch, the journalist and former editor of The Hollywood Reporter whose discovery of a dead fish on her car windshield provided key fuel for the investigation that ultimately led to Pellicano's downfall, told THR in an interview last month that she will attend the hearing to oppose the request for bail.

Email: Matthew.Belloni@thr.com

Twitter: @THRMattBelloni