Ghislaine Maxwell Battles To Keep Old, ‘Intimate’ Deposition Confidential In Court

Topline

An attorney representing Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged recruiter, argued before a U.S. judge Tuesday to keep a deposition from an old lawsuit secret because of a previous order prohibiting it from being made public, although federal prosecutors are seeking the document as part of the criminal case against her, as they claim Maxwell committed perjury by denying any knowledge of Epstein’s alleged sex ring of underage girls.

Key Facts

Adam Mueller, an attorney representing Maxwell, argued to the Second Circuit that the 2016 deposition—which purportedly contains very personal questions to Maxwell about her sex life—should be kept confidential, citing a protective order from the previous lawsuit, a now-settled defamation case between Maxwell and alleged Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre.

Mueller also argued that Maxwell previously consented to a “significant” unsealing of other documents in the case, and therefore, the 2016 deposition is a narrow request for confidentiality, and if it were made public, could harm her right to a fair trial in her criminal case.

Legendary lawyer David Boies represented Giuffre and argued for the deposition’s full release, as opposed to a partial release saying that the public deserves to have the proper context for the document so they are not being misled and know that Giuffre was being truthful.

The Miami Herald was also represented by lawyer Christine Walz in the hearing to argue for the deposition’s release, and one of the Second Circuit judges, Rosemary Pooler, was complimentary of reporter Julie Brown’s investigative work on the Epstein case for the paper.

Pooler noted that the Miami Herald’s work has helped Epstein’s alleged victims, and asked Walz if Maxwell might be a victim as well, but Walz disagreed with the characterization.

The court reserved a decision on the deposition, and it’s unclear if it will be made today.

Crucial Quote

“I think [Giuffre] has a legitimate interest in saying that if certain portions of the sealed files are to be public… that the entire record be revealed, so there is not a misleading impression, not misleading information,” Boies said to the court in favor of releasing the deposition.

Chief Critic

“We don’t think it’s asking too much to simply preserve status quo,” Mueller said about keeping Maxwell’s deposition secret while her criminal case prepares for trial in July 2021.

Key Background

Tuesday’s hearing was the latest installment of the dark saga of Epstein and Maxwell. The deposition in question was previously ordered unsealed in the Southern District of New York, but Maxwell won the ability to appeal the decision. Although the deposition was withheld, a trove of old documents were made public on July 31, and revealed, among other items, that Maxwell was in contact with Epstein as late as 2015. Maxwell is awaiting trial from a Brooklyn federal lockup on charges of enticing and transporting minors as part of Epstein’s alleged sex ring, along with committing perjury during her 2016 depositions that are part of the Giuffre defamation case. She entered a not guilty plea and has denied all previous allegations against her. 

Further Reading

Ghislaine Maxwell Records Trove Names Jeffrey Epstein, Alan Dershowitz—And More Documents Could Be Released (Forbes)

Ghislaine Maxwell Court Records Release Imminent, Expected To Reveal More About Jeffrey Epstein (Forbes)

Ghislaine Maxwell Court Records Will Be Made Public, Judge Rules (Forbes)

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