A judge has delayed the unsealing of the 2016 deposition of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s cohort Ghislaine Maxwell.
Maxwell’s lawyers had requested that the release of her depositions be blocked — a request which US District Judge Loretta Preska denied, according to CNN. But the judge delayed unsealing the depositions until Monday in order to give the British socialite and heiress an opportunity to ask an appeals court to review the matter, the publication reports.
Maxwell’s attorneys asked the court in a Monday letter to prevent victims or their attorneys from sharing information linked to Maxwell’s trial on the internet, including “nude, partially nude, or otherwise sexualized images, videos, or other depictions of individuals,” Fox News reported.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 27: Attorney Gloria Allred (center) leaves a New York court house with two women, a woman who did not wish to be identified (left) and Teala Davies(right), who have publicly accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexually assaulting them on August 27, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The request revolves around secrecy rules, as is typical in sex abuse cases, which require both sides to keep evidence under wraps until the trial. Several of the state’s witnesses were underage girls when the alleged abuse occurred, Fox News reported, and the attorneys could not come to a compromise on whether the state witnesses should be subject to the secrecy rules as well.
“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,” the judge said in a ruling last week, according to CNN.
Maxwell’s lawyers highlighted concerns that many of the “government’s potential witnesses” are already involved in lawsuits against Maxwell. (RELATED: Here’s A List Of The Rich And Famous Caught In Photos With Ghislaine Maxwell)
“There is a substantial concern that these individuals will seek to use discovery materials to support their civil cases and future public statements,” the lawyers wrote, according to Fox.
The British socialite was arrested by the FBI at 8:30 a.m. on July 2 in Bradford, New Hampshire. A grand jury for the U.S. District Court of Southern New York indicted Maxwell on charges of conspiracy to entice minors to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors to these illegal sex acts, transportation of a minor to engage in illegal sex acts, and perjury.
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