Tara Kawass
Defense co-counsel for Katherine Magbanua in the retrial and her attorney at arrest, through whom investigators relayed a cooperation offer.
About
Kawass is the defense attorney most directly associated with shaping the Magbanua retrial record: her opening, closing, and cross-examinations constitute the primary documentary source for the defense's theory of the case and its evidentiary challenges to Rivera, the Dolce Vita recording, and the financial evidence. Her appearance in Trial 3 as the arrest-time conduit for a cooperation offer connects the pre-trial procedural history to her retrial advocacy, making her a useful reference point for tracing the arc of Magbanua's defense posture across the case.
Trial Record (16)
KM Magbanua Retrial May 18, 2022 – May 27, 2022
Trial Summary
Defense co-counsel Tara Kawass delivered the opening statement and closing argument for Katherine Magbanua, advanced a theory that Garcia was recruited directly by Adelson without Magbanua's knowledge, and led cross-examinations of key prosecution witnesses while preserving multiple evidentiary and procedural objections across the eight-day retrial.
Appearances (15)
DA Donna Adelson Aug 22, 2025 – Sep 4, 2025
Trial Summary
Named during Craig Isom's testimony as Katherine Magbanua's attorney at the time of Magbanua's arrest, through whom Isom attempted to relay a cooperation offer that did not result in cooperation.