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On Friday, four more pieces of court records related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were unsealed.
A total of 132 documents were released on Friday. About 19 documents were released Thursday, with the first 40 released Wednesday.
The records are part of a defamation lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, an alleged victim of the disgraced investor, against Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime friend of Epstein’s. The case was settled in 2017. Mr. Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan prison while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Fee.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of aiding Epstein’s sex trafficking of young women and girls and is serving a 20-year sentence. Her appeal is scheduled to be heard in March.
Friday’s filing comes after Giuffre made explosive claims in a lawsuit brought against the federal government by Epstein’s alleged victims, challenging the lenient treatment of sex offenders. It details how Maxwell reacted. It was the first time Giuffre had publicly claimed that Epstein and Maxwell forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew and other prominent men.
“I have no understanding of defamation and other legal risks, and I would prefer not to be drawn into a lawsuit against me by anyone,” Maxwell wrote in the newly unsealed email. In correspondence, I wrote to my lawyer and publicist. From January 2015. “I am trying to stay away from litigation and avoid having to hire a lawyer for years in the legal nightmare of the United States.”
![Photo: Jeffrey Epstein](https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/62e523b1-5c89-4f82-80f7-06a7f8b18fd4/Jeffrey-Epstein-ap-gmh-240104_1704386953481_hpMain_16x9.jpg)
This photo provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein on March 28, 2017.
New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP
Maxwell’s representatives had previously issued a brief statement calling the claims “false” and “obvious lies.”
But Maxwell appeared to be wondering if she should respond more fully, worrying that it would lead to questions about her connections to famous men.
“A statement that doesn’t address everything only invites more questions. What is the relationship between Clinton and me and Andrew? On and on and on,” the email said.
Among the advice she received from her lawyers was that “you can’t sit back and be a co-conspirator,” British lawyer Philip Barden sent an email in response. “You have to stand up and deny the charges, or you will be branded guilty by the association, which could lead to further investigation or worse… What am I doing? I know what the right thing to do is to cry out for innocence.”
Baden called her silence “reputation suicide” and urged her to act quickly and not to offend Epstein, who may have a reason to remain silent.
“I understand why JE doesn’t want this. It may not suit him, but he’s already toast,” Baden wrote, referring to Epstein by his initials.
But while Maxwell was mulling this over, she was also exchanging emails with Epstein, who emailed her the next morning and asked her, “What have you decided to do?”
Eleven days later, Epstein instructed Maxwell to “ask the press to investigate whether Clinton was ever there. Challenge the press.”
Giuffre’s claim that she met President Bill Clinton on Epstein’s island later became a contentious issue between Maxwell and Giuffre.
Newly unsealed documents showed Epstein remained interested in how Maxwell would react, writing, “I called you. What did you decide?”
Ms. Maxwell seemed determined not to say anything more, but she had already said too much, and the result was exactly what she feared. The defamation suit from Giuffre is the very case that started all of these newly unsealed documents.
On September 21, 2015, the day Mr. Giuffre filed his lawsuit, Mr. Maxwell’s British media agent, Ross Gow, used the initials of Mr. Giuffre’s real name, Virginia Roberts, to say, “Hey, here we go again. Our case.” in VR again,” he emailed her. “I’m glad to hear that I’m not a co-defendant. Thank you, Mr. R,” he added.
Prince Andrew denied Giuffre’s claims. In 2022, he settled a civil suit she brought against him without admitting any wrongdoing on her part.
The unboxing of documents from court files is expected to continue next week. So far, 191 of his documents have been released out of an expected total of about 250.
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