Ghislaine Maxwell loses late bid to block deposition's release, quickly appeals

By Jonathan Stempel

 

FILE PHOTO: Ghislaine Maxwell appears via video link during her arraignment hearing where she was denied bail for her role aiding Jeffrey Epstein to recruit and eventually abuse of minor girls, in Manhattan Federal Court, in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S. July 14, 2020 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday denied Ghislaine Maxwell's last-ditch effort to keep a potentially damaging deposition from becoming public, as the jailed British socialite defends against criminal charges she aided the late financier Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of girls.

 

U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan rejected Maxwell's argument that her arrest on July 2 and indictment were "compelling" reasons to continue sealing her April 2016 deposition, and a deposition by an unnamed Epstein accuser.

 

The depositions came from a now-closed civil defamation lawsuit against Maxwell by one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre.

 

Maxwell filed a notice of appeal less than an hour after Preska ruled.

 

She faces a Thursday deadline to appeal from Preska's July 23 order unsealing dozens of other documents, including flight logs from Epstein's private jets and police reports from Palm Beach, Florida, where Epstein had a home.

 

Maxwell, 58, pleaded not guilty on July 14 to helping Epstein recruit and eventually abuse three girls in the 1990s, and committing perjury by denying her involvement under oath.

 

In opposing the unsealing, her lawyers had accused Giuffre and federal prosecutors of violating a protective order in the civil case designed to keep Maxwell's deposition confidential.

 

The lawyers have said the deposition included "intrusive" questions about Maxwell's sex life and could prove embarrassing.

 

They accused Giuffre of leaking the deposition, and "in conjunction with the government" setting a "perjury trap" for their client.

 

But Preska said a criminal probe into Epstein's associates already "loomed large" when Maxwell opposed unsealing the deposition in June, and her arrest did not overcome the presumption the public deserved access.

 

"This is plowed ground," Preska wrote.

 

Giuffre has said Epstein kept her as a "sex slave" with Maxwell's assistance.

 

Maxwell's criminal trial is scheduled for July 2021. She is being held in a Brooklyn jail after the judge overseeing that case called her a flight risk.

 

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Grant McCool)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-07-30

 

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1 minute ago, webfact said:

a deposition by an unnamed Epstein accuser

 

Interesting that this one depostion is causing such consternation?

 

Surely there are dozens of other depositions.

 

But this one must be juicy.

 

 

Hopefully there are a lot of people having lots of sleepless nights over Ms. Ghislaine being locked up. She is the real key-player in all this and can name the names.

 

Almost 100% certain she will flip like a light switch to get some sort of deal out of this. Depositions or not getting involved.

1 hour ago, chrisinth said:

Hopefully there are a lot of people having lots of sleepless nights over Ms. Ghislaine being locked up. She is the real key-player in all this and can name the names.

 

Almost 100% certain she will flip like a light switch to get some sort of deal out of this. Depositions or not getting involved.

If she lives that long

  My first thought was that this was a previously undiscovered Van Gogh. 

Wonder if any of those betting shops that handle unconventional wagers are giving odds on her living long enough to make it to trial.

let me guess, names same as in panama papers.. rich & elite, known criminals, above the law... we know how it goes, they even get away with murder

The now very sweaty tub of english lard's underwear bill is soaring ...release the video stash ???? 

We need to see Epstein’s flight logs from the Lolita Express.

Conspiracy theories aside.

 

That woman probably has enough dirt up her sleeve to avoid any serious jail time.

 

Pretty sure the negotiations on an ultimate plea deal are well underway 

This’ll be fun.

 

 

19 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

Conspiracy theories aside.

 

That woman probably has enough dirt up her sleeve to avoid any serious jail time.

 

Pretty sure the negotiations on an ultimate plea deal are well underway 

Conspiracy theories aside, you come up with a conspiracy theory.

2 hours ago, Bender Rodriguez said:

let me guess, names same as in panama papers.. rich & elite, known criminals, above the law... we know how it goes, they even get away with murder

Her father 'removed' many hundreds of millions from the Mirror Group pension fund before mysteriously 'falling off his yacht (the Lady Ghislane)' and croaking.

 

https://moneyweek.com/505757/great-frauds-in-history-robert-maxwell

35 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Conspiracy theories aside, you come up with a conspiracy theory.

I think you need to understand what a conspiracy theory versus speculation is.

 

I wasn't buying into the idea that dark forces would somehow stage her mysterious suicide, rather just speculating on what she may or may not know about Epstein's activities

Edited July 30, 20205 yr by GinBoy2

28 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

I think you need to understand what a conspiracy theory versus speculation is.

 

I wasn't buying into the idea that dark forces would somehow stage her mysterious suicide, rather just speculating on what she may or may not know about Epstein's activities

Yes, agree with you there, your post was more speculation than conspiracy.

Edited July 30, 20205 yr by stevenl

Prince Andrew will BE sphincter twitching ATM

4 hours ago, Emdog said:

Wonder if any of those betting shops that handle unconventional wagers are giving odds on her living long enough to make it to trial.

This is not going to trail

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

This’ll be fun.

 

 

It surely will - can we expect the British Queen to disown Randy Andy?

No, no, no, please let’s keep this as public and as embarrassing for her as possible!!! 
 

The absolute kicker would be, if she just started to rat everyone, which she’ll most likely do to save her skinny behind, and she would have some really ugly dirt on Trump! ????

Easily solved in the time of an epidemic, yet another corpse on the pile of covid casualties.

There was a certain campaign manager for Bush 41 who was a relatively young and healthy fellow, died of a mysterious ailment not long after the 1989 inauguration.  Speculate as you will.  But the truth is dead men, and women, tell no tales.