Virginia Giuffre Files First Federal Civil Lawsuit Against Ghislaine Maxwell

In January 2015, Virginia Roberts Giuffre filed a federal civil lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell in the Southern District of New York. The suit alleged that Maxwell had defamed her by publicly denying Giuffre’s allegations of trafficking and abuse.

Background

Giuffre had been speaking out about her abuse by Epstein and Maxwell since approximately 2011, initially in court filings as an unnamed Jane Doe connected to the NPA challenge, and later more publicly. Maxwell and her attorneys had issued statements calling Giuffre’s allegations lies and characterizing her as a serial liar.

Legal Claims

The lawsuit alleged that Maxwell’s statements constituted tortious defamation and that Maxwell had falsely denied knowingly recruiting underage girls for Epstein. The suit opened the door to extensive discovery into Maxwell’s communications, travel records, and relationship with Epstein.

Deposition Material

During discovery, Maxwell was deposed in 2016. Large portions of her deposition were sealed, protecting the identities of named associates. After years of legal battles, much of the deposition material was unsealed in 2020, revealing detailed accounts of Maxwell’s denials, evasions, and characterizations of her relationship with Epstein.

Settlement

The case was settled in 2017 for an undisclosed sum. However, the litigation had already produced documents and deposition material that would later prove important to the federal criminal case against Maxwell that was filed in 2020.

Alan Dershowitz Allegations

Giuffre had also named Professor Alan Dershowitz in court filings as one of the men she alleged she had been trafficked to. Dershowitz strenuously denied the allegations and sought to have his name struck from the record. The ensuing legal dispute between Giuffre and Dershowitz ran parallel to the Maxwell litigation for years.