Giuffre v. Maxwell Case Settles Confidentially — May 2017
Virginia Giuffre's civil defamation lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell settles confidentially for approximately $500,000. As part of the settlement, both parties agree to a mutual non-disparagement clause. The settlement seals both the discovery record and the parties' statements — though Giuffre later argues the non-disparagement clause was improperly used against her in subsequent proceedings.
People Involved
In May 2017, the civil defamation case brought by Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell — Giuffre v. Maxwell — reached a confidential settlement.
Settlement Terms
The settlement amount was reported as approximately $500,000. As is standard in many civil settlements, both parties agreed to non-disparagement terms. The specific terms remained confidential, with the case file sealed.
The Non-Disparagement Issue
Years later, when Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit against Prince Andrew, an argument arose about whether the non-disparagement clause in the Maxwell settlement covered Prince Andrew as well — since Giuffre’s allegations against Andrew were related to the Epstein network. Andrew’s legal team used the settlement document as a basis for seeking dismissal of Giuffre’s claims against him. A judge ultimately allowed the Andrew case to proceed despite this argument.
Documents Remain Sealed
Even after the 2017 settlement, the discovery documents from Giuffre v. Maxwell — including Maxwell’s extensive deposition — remained under court seal. Judge Loretta Preska of the SDNY would later order them unsealed beginning in 2024, resulting in the largest document release in the Epstein case’s history.
Maxwell’s Deposition
Of particular interest was Maxwell’s 2016 deposition, in which she was questioned under oath about her relationship with Epstein, her interactions with Giuffre and other victims, and her knowledge of the abuse network. Her responses to many questions in that deposition would later be scrutinized against the evidence presented at her 2021 criminal trial.
Significance
The 2017 settlement temporarily quieted litigation involving Maxwell while the underlying documents remained sealed, delaying public accountability for over five years.