Overview
Sigrid McCawley is a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP and served as the primary civil litigator representing multiple Epstein victims, most prominently Virginia Giuffre. McCawley pursued civil claims over years and was the attorney behind many of the strategic litigation decisions that ultimately forced the unsealing of documents central to public understanding of the Epstein network.
Role in Virginia Giuffre’s Cases
McCawley represented Virginia Giuffre (formerly Virginia Roberts) in multiple civil proceedings, including:
- The defamation action Giuffre filed against Ghislaine Maxwell, which was settled in 2017 after extensive discovery
- Post-settlement litigation over what documents should be unsealed from that proceeding
- Related actions seeking to hold other defendants accountable
The Giuffre v. Maxwell case, though settled before trial, produced a significant evidentiary record including depositions of Maxwell, Epstein, Jean-Luc Brunel, and others. McCawley litigated the years-long fight to unseal that record, which culminated in the 2024 document releases ordered by Judge Loretta Preska.
Document Unsealing Strategy
One of McCawley’s most consequential legal contributions was the sustained campaign to unseal discovery materials from the Giuffre v. Maxwell proceedings. This required:
- Challenging confidentiality designations on hundreds of documents
- Responding to objections from dozens of third parties identified in the record
- Appealing sealing orders through multiple levels of the federal courts
The unsealing battle ultimately succeeded in releasing over 200 documents totaling thousands of pages, making it one of the most significant judicial disclosures in a sex trafficking case.
CVRA Litigation Support
McCawley was involved in supporting the Epstein victims who pursued the Crime Victims’ Rights Act litigation in the Southern District of Florida, the case that challenged the 2008 non-prosecution agreement as having been concluded without the legally required victim notification.
Public Advocacy
Beyond the courtroom, McCawley was a public advocate for her clients, appearing in media and giving commentary on the progress of litigation. She was an articulate voice explaining the legal significance of the CVRA, the unsealing proceedings, and the implications of each development for accountability.
Significance
In any major civil rights or accountability case, the attorneys who persistently pursue legal remedies over years — often without clear prospect of financial reward and against well-resourced oppositions — are central actors. McCawley’s work on behalf of Epstein victims over more than a decade contributed materially to the public record, the development of victim rights jurisprudence, and the financial accountability obtained through civil settlements.
Sources
Federal court filings in Giuffre v. Maxwell; Second Circuit opinions on the unsealing proceedings; CVRA litigation records; public statements and media appearances.