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

TOPLINE

A trove of old court records involving British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and dead, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein are expected to be released Thursday following a judge’s orders to unseal them, and are anticipated to reveal more information connected to Epstein’s alleged sexual abuse of underage girls.

KEY FACTS

News peg

Maxwell is the daughter of late British publishing giant Robert Maxwell. She arrived in the U.S. shortly after her father’s mysterious 1991 death. Maxwell and Epstein dated for a number of years and remained close friends after their breakup, with Maxwell reportedly running Epstein’s multiple households. Giuffre alleged that Maxwell ordered her to have sex with Epstein’s famous and wealthy friends, including Prince Andrew, which Maxwell has previously denied.

Key background

A large batch of records from the Giuffre defamation lawsuit were released August 9, 2019, after a different judge ordered them unsealed. Those records—along with the Miami Herald’s exposé of Epstein’s lenient Florida plea deal in 2008, brokered by then-prosecutor Alexander Acosta—reignited mainstream interest in the dark saga surrounding Epstein’s alleged sex ring of underage girls. On August 10, the day after the first batch of court records were made public, Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan federal prison while awaiting trial on fresh federal sex trafficking charges. The circumstances surrounding his death were found to be a perfect storm of errors within the correctional facility, including sleeping guards and malfunctioning security cameras. Epstein’s death ended the criminal case against him, but civil suits filed by alleged victims against his estate are still making their way through court. 

Tangent

President Trump—who has been photographed with Maxwell and Epstein numerous times—expressed well-wishes for Maxwell during a July 21 press conference. Trump’s comments created an avalanche of controversy and questions, as he was quick to distance himself from Epstein in 2019.

Further reading

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

Jeffrey Epstein Documents Could Expose Powerful Politicians, Businessmen (Forbes)

Unsealed Jeffrey Epstein Documents List New Allegations Against Powerful Men (Forbes)

Jeffrey Epstein’s Dark Façade Finally Cracks (Forbes)

Perversion of Justice (Miami Herald)