George Allen Smith IV and Jennifer Hagel Smith

This was published recently in a local paper:

By Debra Friedman
staff writer
Posted: 05/22/2009 10:32:01 PM EDT



After a lengthy review by federal officials, thousands of pages of court transcripts and evidence are set for release in the case of a Greenwich man who vanished while on his honeymoon cruise in 2005. 
Attorneys for the family of George A. Smith IV and his widow Jennifer Hagel-Smith met in Greenwich Probate Court Friday morning for a status conference, where they confirmed the records will be distributed to the press sometime next week.
"About 98 percent of the transcripts and evidence will be released on a disc form," said Probate Court Judge David Hopper.
The records have gone through a long process of review with attorneys from both sides proposing redactions. Redactions have also been made by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office, which currently have an open investigation into Smith's disappearance. 
The records are expected to shine new light on a case long shrouded in mystery.
Smith went missing July 5, 2005, while on a Mediterranean cruise with Hagel-Smith. His body, which left behind bloodstains on an exterior overhang of the ship, was never recovered. 
The records set for release will include transcripts of testimony from a four-day hearing in May in which the Probate Court upheld a settlement with the Royal Caribbean cruise line that awarded $1.1 million to Smith's widow. The deal was opposed by George Smith's family. The court is also set to release transcripts of Hagel-Smith's April 2007 deposition in the case.
All of the information had been sealed until the Greenwich Post filed a Freedom of Information Act request. Greenwich attorney Michael Jones, who represents Smith's family, on Friday said much of the review had to do with the fact that the investigation is still pending.
"This is still an active and ongoing investigation," said Jones. "I think that this is going to provide some information that hasn't previously been presented."
Hagel-Smith's Middletown attorney Elizabeth Byrne thanked the Probate Court for allowing time to review the 2,200 pages of material, noting that some of the redactions were of people's names who are part of the investigation.
"The public has a right to know, but some of the names should not be released," said Byrne. "The Department of Justice wants to make sure there is no interference with their investigation." 
The Smith family has an appeal pending in state Superior Court in Stamford contesting the ruling that upheld Hagel-Smith's settlement with the cruise line.

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