(CNN) A federal judge ruled on Thursday to publicly release documents that have been kept under seal in a case involving Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's one-time girlfriend and alleged accomplice.
US District Judge Loretta Preska verbally unsealed the documents in a ruling held via teleconference. She is giving Maxwell's legal team a week to pursue an appeal to her decision but ordered the court to have the documents ready to be posted "within a week."
The documents are connected to a 2015 defamation case brought by Virginia Roberts Giuffre , who claimed Epstein sexually abused her while she was a minor and that Maxwell aided in the abuse. The case was settled in 2017.
Included in the now unsealed documents are Maxwell's 2016 deposition related to the lawsuit in which she denies knowing if Epstein had a scheme to recruit underage girls for sex. Other documents include emails and depositions by others, including Giuffre and anonymous women who also claim to have been abused by Epstein.
Preska ruled that several medical records included in the court filings will remain sealed. In addition, she noted that the multiple anonymous women -- "Jane Does" who accused Epstein of abuse but have not publicly spoken out -- will continue to have their identities redacted in the documents.
gulabjamunyaar on July 23rd, 2020 at 19:02 UTC »
“In her ruling, [US District Judge Loretta Preska] said that the public's right to have access to the information carried heavier weight than the ‘annoyance or embarrassment’ to Maxwell.
‘In the context of this case, especially its allegations of sex trafficking of young girls, the court finds any minor embarrassment or annoyance resulting from Ms. Maxwell's mostly non-testimony ... is far outweighed by the presumption of public access,’ she said.”
JohnMullowneyTax on July 23rd, 2020 at 17:57 UTC »
Keep this woman alive
bentleafpot on July 23rd, 2020 at 16:46 UTC »
This could get juicy pretty fast.