Former Jeffrey Epstein companion Ghislaine Maxwell seeks to keep court records under seal
The files may "inappropriately influence potential witnesses," her lawyer said.
By
James Hill
June 11, 2020
Woman who worked for Jeffrey Epstein: 'I knew something was wrong'Maria Farmer said in a lawsuit her experience with him and socialite Ghislaine Maxwell took a dark turn when she was sexually assaulted.
Attorneys for Ghislaine Maxwell, the former companion of deceased sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein, are asking a federal judge to keep a batch of court records under seal, arguing that public interest in the documents is outweighed by privacy considerations and the potential impact a release of the documents could have on an ongoing criminal investigation into alleged accomplices of Epstein.
"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," Maxwell's attorney, Jeffrey Pagliuca, wrote Wednesday in a filing objecting to unsealing certain documents. "The sealed testimony or summaries may inappropriately influence potential witnesses or alleged victims."
The sealed court filings in the case -- a now-settled civil defamation lawsuit filed against Maxwell in 2015 by Virginia Roberts Giuffre -- are said to contain the names of hundreds of people, some famous and some not, who socialized, traveled or worked with Epstein over the span of more than a decade. The late financier has previously been linked to a coterie of high-profile business leaders, scientists, royalty and politicians.