A mystery person in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal begged a federal judge today not to turn over a trove of confidential papers listing some of the dead pedophile’s closest associates to the celebrity attorney Alan Dershowitz.
The bombshell papers are part of a historic defamation case that Virginia Giuffre, previously known as Virginia Roberts, brought against the warped financier’s alleged madam and facilitator, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The cache is subject to a historic protective order but Dershowitz argues it contains depositions and materials crucial for his own defense as he battles Giuffre in a separate, ongoing defamation case.
Close to a dozen attorneys assembled by teleconference on Tuesday to debate whether the order, signed by deceased New York Judge Robert Sweet, could be loosened to accommodate the 81-year Harvard professor’s request.
But his motion was strongly opposed by legal teams representing Giuffre, Maxwell and also a mysterious ‘John Doe’ who is believed to be one of numerous public figures who are petrified of being drawn into the Epstein maelstrom.
A mystery person in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal begged a federal judge today not to turn over a trove of confidential papers listing some of the dead pedophile’s closest associates to the celebrity attorney Alan Dershowitz
The bombshell papers are part of a historic defamation case that Virginia Giuffre, previously known as Virginia Roberts, brought against the warped financier’s alleged madam and facilitator, Ghislaine Maxwell
But his motion was strongly opposed by legal teams representing Giuffre, Maxwell and also a mysterious ‘John Doe’ who is believed to be one of numerous public figures who are petrified of being drawn into the Epstein maelstrom
In a letter to the court, his or her attorneys Nicholas Lewin and Paul Krieger argued it would derail the painstaking legal protocol already agreed upon to decide how and when materials in the Maxwell-Giuffre case should be unsealed.
‘This marks Dershowitz’s second – or, by some measures, third – attempt to make an end-run around this Court’s carefully constructed unsealing protocol,’ the letter stated.
‘Just as the Court denied Dershowitz’s prior attempts, it should deny this one.’
Lewin repeated his position on the call, backed by lawyers for Maxwell and Giuffre who all agreed that giving Epstein’s outspoken former attorney confidential materials and depositions from a case he was not involved in, would spark ‘leakage concerns.’
They agreed that Dershowitz – who says he wants the secret documents to become public as they exonerate him – had all the usual legal mechanisms at his disposal to depose witnesses and apply for disclosure.
However his attorney, Howard Cooper, said there was a ‘compelling need’ for the Giuffre-Maxwell materials as his client was facing ‘an adversary who has in her custody, possession or control, all of the materials he seeks’.
Cooper assured Southern District of New York Judge Loretta Preska that Dershowitz was ‘unequivocally’ committed to keeping any disclosed materials private but Preska chose to reserve judgement for now.
The Giuffre-Maxwell case ended in 2015 but Giuffre’s attorneys have fought a protracted legal battle to have documents containing the names of numerous ‘non parties’ unsealed.
Preska ruled last May that she would unveil portions of documents on a rolling basis once the named individuals had been notified and given the opportunity to lodge legal objections.
Giuffre was allegedly recruited to become Epstein’s sex slave in 1999, and has been at the center of much of the Epstein scandal since it first came to light, most notably for her claims against Prince Andrew, who has denied all wrongdoing
Epstein was found dead in his New York jail cell last August 10, the official verdict of suicide by hanging still hotly still disputed by his family and former legal team
Maxwell continues to protest her innocence and has resisted Giuffre’s motion, claiming the papers should be ‘afforded the lowest presumption of public access’.
The British-born socialite, accused of recruiting young girls for the multi-millionaire predator and being present herself while abuse was taking place, has not been seen in public since Epstein’s death.
Giuffre claims she was among those trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with rich, powerful men including Britain’s Prince Andrew and Dershowitz.
Dershowitz, one of the attorneys who secured a much-criticized plea deal more than a decade ago in Florida, has called Giuffre a ‘complete, total liar.’
Insisting the pair never met, let alone had sex, he has repeatedly challenged his accuser to voice her allegations publicly and unequivocally, claiming she was afraid of perjuring herself.
But in the recent documentary series, Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, Giuffre did just that, saying on camera: ‘I was with Alan Dershowitz multiple times. At least six that I can remember. I was trafficked to Alan Dershowitz from Epstein.’
Dershowitz also counter-sued last November, claiming Giuffre ‘spread malicious lies’ and falsely smeared him as a ‘sexual predator, pedophile, abuser, child molester and other negative epithets’ to extort a settlement.
He also made an appearance in the same Netflix show, saying: ‘Let me state categorically: I never had sex with an underage person in my life.
‘Even when I was an underage boy, I never had sex with an underage girl. I never had sex with anyone related to Jeffrey Epstein.’
Giuffre was allegedly recruited to become Epstein’s sex slave in 1999, and has been at the center of much of the Epstein scandal since it first came to light, most notably for her claims against Prince Andrew, who has denied all wrongdoing.
In his pomp, Epstein was a close associate of some of the world’s richest, powerful men, including Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, director Woody Allen and Saudi leader Mohammad bin Salman
Donald Trump and future wife Melania Knauss, Jeffrey Epstein, and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, February 12, 2000
In his pomp, Epstein was a close associate of some of the world’s richest, powerful men, including Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, director Woody Allen and Saudi leader Mohammad bin Salman.
In 2008 he became a registered sex offender after pleading guilty to Florida state charges of unlawfully paying a teenage girl for sex.
However Epstein served a mere 13 months in jail, much of the time allowed out on work release, after agreeing to a controversial ‘sweetheart deal’ to avoid federal charges.
Clinton and Trump both said they hadn’t seen Epstein in years and knew nothing of his misconduct when new charges were brought against him in July 2019, accusing him of trafficking girls as young as 14 to provide ‘massages and sex acts’ in Florida and New York.
More than a dozen more women, not previously known to law enforcement, came forward to accuse him of sex abuse after the charges, which carried a prison sentence of up to 45 years, were made public.
However Epstein was found dead in his New York jail cell last August 10, the official verdict of suicide by hanging still hotly still disputed by his family and former legal team.