The Connecticut Appellate Court on July 23 allowed six out-of-state attorneys representing special interest groups to appear in an appeal questioning whether an unapproved amicus brief in a separate case defamed an acquitted ex-Yale student.

In a one-page order, the state's intermediate appellate court granted the pro hac vice applications of lawyers for the ACLU's Connecticut litigation arm, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, women's rights organization Her Justice and youth advocacy group Children's Rights.

The six groups filed an application on June 30 to weigh in on the case, which questions whether the litigation privilege protects amicus briefs from defamation claims. On July 22, the appellate court rejected the application to file the brief, but on July 23, accepted the pro hac vice applications of six out-of-state attorneys who wished to weigh in on the issue.

The appeal, by former Yale University student Saifullah Khan, seeks to revive a lawsuit accusing 16 other advocacy groups, nonprofits, a Michigan law firm and a Minnesota attorney of defamation. The defendants filed a rejected amicus brief in a separate state Supreme Court case.

In that appeal, the state's highest court ruled that privilege law did not protect an accuser who claimed during internal Yale disciplinary proceedings that Khan had sexually assaulted her.

Khan denied wrongdoing and was acquitted at a criminal trial. He said the 18 defendant amici penned a brief that assumed he was guilty.

In seeking to support the other nonprofits, the six newcomer groups argued their effectiveness as legal advocacy groups could be at stake if they can't file briefs without fearing "distracting collateral litigation."

The six nonprofits are represented by Steven M. Frederick and Zachary J. Phillipps of Wofsey Rosen Kweskin & Kuriansky LLP, and Emilie B. Cooper, Anne S. Aufhauser, Shira D. Sandler, Basem H. Besada, Gabriella Carnazza and Jamie Spence of Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP.

Khan is represented by Alexander T. Taubes.

The defendants are represented by Shipman & Goodwin LLP, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, David G. Hill & Associates LLC and Diserio Martin O'Connor & Castiglioni LLP.

The case is Khan v. Jewish Women International et al., case number AC 48383, in the Connecticut Appellate Court.

--Editing by Drashti Mehta.

Correction: An previous version of this article misstated the outcome of the ACLU's request to file friend-of-court briefs. The error has been corrected.