Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite and a close associate of dead American sex-offender Jeffery Epstein, has requested the Manhattan federal court to keep court documents containing details of her sordid sex life sealed.
Maxwell, who is missing from the public platform for months now, also requested the names of Epstein's high-profile clientele to be kept under wraps, as unsealing those might affect their reputation.
Maxwell Was Questioned About Her Sex Life for Hours
In 2015, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein's former sex slaves, had filed a defamation suit against Maxwell. The victim had alleged that she was recruited by Maxwell and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions, once when she was 17 years old.
According to The Sun, even though the case has been settled, sealed and redacted, court filings are said to contain the names of hundreds of Epstein's wealthy and celebrity pals. The court documents include Maxwell's hour-long depositions in the case and a lengthy 418-page transcript under consideration for release..
ABC news reported that Maxwell's lawyer Jeffrey Pagliuca, in a filing in the Manhattan court, stated that the British socialite's deposition in the case was given under expectation of confidentiality that had been agreed to by both sides in the dispute.
"This series of pleadings concerns [Giuffre's] attempt to compel Ms. Maxwell to answer intrusive questions about her sex life. The subject matter of these [documents] is extremely personal, confidential, and subject to considerable abuse by the media," Pagliuca stated.
High-Profile Clients
ABC reported that the sealed court filings are believed to contain the names of hundreds of people, including some hi-profile people, who socialized, traveled or worked with Epstein for more than a decade.
The string of documents under review for potential release by Senior US District Court Judge Loretta Preska is just a small portion of the thousands of pages of documents that must be reviewed for possible release.
Fearing privacy violations of those named as accomplice and victims in the sealed documents could outweigh the public interest, Pagliuca said unsealing the documents might hamper the ongoing criminal investigation.
"Ms. Maxwell ... is aware that investigations surrounding the alleged conduct of Mr. Epstein survive his death. It is unclear who are witnesses or targets of any investigation. The sealed testimony or summaries may inappropriately influence potential witnesses or alleged victims," Pagliuca said.
Fifty-eight-year-old Maxwell has been accused of procuring underage girls to engage in sexual activities with Epstein and his high-profile friends.
