A federal judge on Wednesday rejected accused child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell’s latest attempt to delay release of documents from Virginia Giuffre’s now settled defamation lawsuit against her, saying she saw no “reasonable basis” to grant a request for a three week delay.
Maxwell’s attorneys said Monday they had found “critical new information” related to the criminal case against her and asked for the delay to discuss the information with prosecutors, the New York Post reported.
But US District Court Judge Loretta Preska ruled that since the new information is under a protective order in the criminal case, it can’t be disclosed for anything related to the civil case.
The documents come from Giuffre’s lawsuit filed in 2015. It was settled for an undisclosed amount in 2017. The document release stems from a pleading the Miami Herald made on behalf of investigative reporter Julie K. Brown. Brown’s November 2018 series “Perversion of Justice” detailed how former US Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, then a US Attorney in south Florida, brokered a sweetheart deal that allowed Jeffrey Epstein to escape any serious consequences of a conviction for procuring a young girl for prostitution.
Documents released last week include an email exchange between Maxwell and Epstein and a lengthy deposition by Giuffre, as CrimeOnline previously reported. Maxwell’s own deposition is among the documents yet to be released.
Preska said Wednesday that if the protective order on the “critical new information” is lifted, Maxwell can again apply for a stay on the document release.
Maxwell was arrested in early July on a six count indictment charging her with procuring girls for Epstein and lying about it in court. She has been denied bond and remains jailed in Brooklyn, awaiting trial next July. She has pleaded not guilty.
Maxwell’s attorneys have also filed a request to move her into the general population at the detention center where she’s being held, arguing that repeated body scans and 24-hour surveillance create “uniquely onerous conditions.” Prosecutors are expected to respond to that request by Thursday, according to Reuters.
Epstein was arrested a year ago on sex trafficking charges and was found hanged in his Manhattan jail cell. His death was ruled a suicide.
Read more about Ghislaine Maxwell’s court case.
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[Featured image: Ghislaine Maxwell/Globe/MediaPunch/MediaPunch/IPx and Virginia Giuffre/Associated Press]
