FACT CHECK: Fake quote cards on Duterte’s ICC defense cite fictional lawyers

Claim: United States attorney Elle Woods and Australian attorney Lily Morrow will represent former President Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court as part of his defense team.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post claiming that Australian lawyer Lily Morrow will defend the former president was published on May 18, 2026. It has since garnered over 1,000 reactions, 120 comments, and 240 shares. The post was shared in the Facebook group “SARA DUTERTE SUPPORTERS,” which has over 387,000 active members.

The text on the graphics says: “Nangako ang isang anti-capitalist Australian Lawyer Atty. Lily Morrow na depensahan niya ang kaso ni Bato Dela Rosa at ni Rodrigo Duterte laban sa ICC.”

(An anti-capitalist Australian lawyer, Atty. Lily Morrow, promised to defend Bato Dela Rosa and Rodrigo Duterte against the ICC). 

A separate post uploaded on May 18, 2026, claimed that Woods would also represent Duterte before the ICC. This post has since garnered 17 reactions.

The quote card read: “As legal counsel, we will exhaust every avenue, fight every outreach, and do everything in our power to secure the absolute freedom of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Our mission is unwavering: we will overturn this ruling and bring him back to the Philippines where he belongs.”

The quote card was shared in the Facebook group, “RODY DIGONG DUTERTE SOLID GROUP,” with over 281,000 active members. 

The facts: Woods is a fictional character from the 2001 comedy film, “Legally Blonde.” The movie follows Woods, a former sorority queen who unexpectedly enrolls at Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend. She was portrayed by American actress Reese Witherspoon.

Meanwhile, Lily Morrow is a Korean-Australian singer, not a lawyer. She is best known as a member of the South Korean K-pop girl group NMIXX.

The false claims likely stemmed from news surrounding the resignation of Duterte’s lead ICC counsel, Nicholas Kaufman, who submitted his request to withdraw on May 8, 2026. Kaufman said that the request was in line with Duterte’s decision to “hire replacement counsel,” noting that his one-year contract had already expired on March 31, 2026.

Dov Jacobs, Duterte’s associate counsel, also filed a request to be relieved of his duties alongside Kaufman. The ICC Trial Chamber III officially granted Kaufman’s withdrawal request on May 11, while Jacobs’ request was approved earlier on May 8.

Duterte’s case: Duterte was arrested on March 11, 2025, for alleged crimes against humanity related to extrajudicial killings stemming from his bloody war on drugs. He has been detained at the ICC since March 12, 2025.

The ICC prosecution team charged Duterte with three counts of murder as crimes against humanity on September 22, 2025, and the ICC pre-trial chamber formally confirmed his charges on April 23, 2026.

Duterte is expected to appear before ICC Courtroom I on May 27 for a status conference on his case. He will be represented by his new legal counsel led by Peter Haynes, who served as the president of the ICC Bar Association from 2019 to 2021. 

Haynes officially became Duterte’s new lead defense counsel on May 15, 2026, after the ICC Trial Chamber III approved his appointment.

Debunked: Rappler has debunked similar claims regarding Duterte’s defense counsel and fake quote cards related to his ICC case: 

• FACT CHECK: Viral posts name fictional characters as Duterte’s ‘new’ ICC lawyers
• FACT CHECK: Quote card on Duterte arrest cites fictional lawyer Harvey Specter
• FACT CHECK: Fake quote cards expressing support for Duterte cite fictional characters
• FACT CHECK: Quote card on Duterte arrest cites fictional lawyer Elle Woods

– Reinnard Balonzo/Rappler.com 

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