Ghislaine Maxwell's Legal Team Battles Release of Epstein-Related Documents
Lawyers representing imprisoned British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell have launched a constitutional challenge against the forced public release of approximately 90,000 pages of documents from Virginia Giuffre's civil defamation lawsuit. The documents relate to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell herself, with attorneys filing papers late Friday in Manhattan federal court to block their disclosure.
Constitutional Challenge Against Congressional Law
Maxwell's legal representatives, Laura Menninger and Jeffrey Pagliuca, argue that the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed by Congress in December violates the Constitution's separation of powers doctrine. "Congress cannot, by statute, strip this Court of the power or relieve it of the responsibility to protect its files from misuse. To do so violates the separation of powers," they wrote in court documents.
The attorneys further contended that "Under the Constitution's separation of powers, neither Congress nor the Executive Branch may intrude on the judicial power. That power includes the power to definitively and finally resolve cases and disputes."
Documents Include Sensitive Depositions and Private Information
The contested documents originate from a since-settled civil defamation lawsuit brought a decade ago by the late Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre against Maxwell. According to Maxwell's legal team, the files include:
- Transcripts of over 30 depositions
- Private financial information regarding Maxwell and others
- Sensitive sexual matters related to Maxwell and associates
Maxwell's attorneys claim the Justice Department obtained these documents improperly during its criminal investigation of Maxwell, despite them being subject to secrecy orders. Some records from the year-long evidence exchange in the lawsuit have already been released publicly following a federal appeals court order.
Virginia Giuffre's Allegations and Prince Andrew Connection
Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide last year, alleged that Epstein had trafficked her to other men, including former Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. In her memoir published posthumously, Giuffre wrote that prosecutors told her they excluded her from Maxwell's sex trafficking prosecution because they didn't want her allegations to distract the jury.
Giuffre sued Mountbatten-Windsor in 2021, claiming they had sex when she was 17 years old. He denied these claims, and the two settled the lawsuit in 2022. Recently, Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested and held in custody for nearly 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct for allegedly sharing confidential trade information with Epstein.
Ongoing Revelations and Congressional Concerns
The release of Epstein-related documents from criminal probes that began weeks ago has continued to reveal new information about Epstein's decades-long sexual abuse of women and teenage girls. Some victims have complained that their names and personal information were disclosed in documents while their abusers' identities were redacted.
Members of Congress have expressed frustration that only about half of existing documents have been made public, many with redactions, despite Justice Department officials claiming everything has been released except for files awaiting judicial approval for disclosure.
Maxwell's Current Status and Recent Developments
Ghislaine Maxwell, now 64, was convicted in December 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in Epstein's sex trafficking operation. Epstein died by suicide in a federal lockup in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Last summer, Maxwell was transferred from a federal prison in Florida to a low-security prison camp in Texas after participating in two days of interviews with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Two weeks ago, she declined to answer questions from House Oversight Committee lawmakers during a video deposition from her prison camp, though her lawyer indicated she was "prepared to speak fully and honestly" if granted clemency.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding Maxwell's latest legal challenge. The constitutional arguments presented by Maxwell's legal team represent a significant development in the ongoing effort to make Epstein-related documents publicly available while balancing privacy concerns and judicial authority.
