Virginia Giuffre filed a defamation lawsuit against Alan Dershowitz in 2019, alleging that his repeated and aggressive public denials of her allegations against him constituted defamation.
The background:
Giuffre alleged that Ghislaine Maxwell directed her to have sexual contact with Alan Dershowitz when she was a teenager in Epstein’s network. She made this allegation in legal filings dating to 2014. Dershowitz vehemently and loudly denied the allegations in public, including in media appearances, press releases, and statements that Giuffre characterized as attacking her credibility in ways that constituted defamation.
The 2014 civil filing:
Giuffre’s original allegations against Dershowitz appeared in a filing in an existing civil case in 2014. That filing was ultimately struck from the record by the court, which found that naming Dershowitz was unnecessary to the proceedings at that stage. However, the allegations became publicly known and Dershowitz engaged in a sustained public response.
The defamation lawsuit:
In 2019, Giuffre sued Dershowitz for defamation in federal court, alleging his public statements falsely portrayed her as a liar and damaged her reputation.
Dershowitz’s counterclaims:
Dershowitz filed counterclaims and sued for his own defamation remedy, arguing that Giuffre’s allegations against him were false and damaging.
The settlement:
In 2023, the parties reached a settlement. Giuffre issued a statement acknowledging uncertainty about whether Dershowitz was the person she remembered in Epstein’s network, which Dershowitz characterized as a vindication. The specific terms of the settlement were not fully disclosed. Dershowitz stated publicly he was not financially compensated but took the statement as validation.
Giuffre’s attorney and advocates noted the statement was narrow in scope and did not represent a full withdrawal of her account.