RE: Ghislaine Maxwell Redacted Documents

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Plaintiff, VIRGINIA L. GIUFFRE, formerly known as Virginia Roberts
(“Giuffre”), for her Complaint against Defendant, GHISLAINE MAXWELL (“Maxwell”), avers
upon personal knowledge as to her own acts and status and otherwise upon information and
belief:
NATURE OF THE ACTION

1. This suit arises out of Defendant Maxwell’s defamatory statements against
   Plaintiff Giuffre. As described below, Giuffre was a victim of sexual trafficking and abuse while
   she was a minor child. Defendant Maxwell not only facilitated that sexual abuse but, most
   recently, wrongfully subjected Giuffre to public ridicule, contempt and disgrace by, among other
   things, calling Giuffre a liar in published statements with the malicious intent of discrediting and
   further damaging Giuffre worldwide.
   JURISDICTION AND VENUE
2. This is an action for damages in an amount in excess of the minimum
   jurisdictional limits of this Court.
3. This Court has jurisdiction over this dispute pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §1332
   (diversity jurisdiction) as Giuffre and Maxwell are citizens of different states and the amount in
   controversy exceeds seventy-five thousand ($75,000), exclusive of interest and costs.
4. This Court has personal jurisdiction over Maxwell. Maxwell resides in New York
   City, and this action arose, and defamatory statements were made, within the Southern District of
   New York.
5. Venue is proper in this Court as the cause of action arose within the jurisdiction of
   this Court.
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Comments

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PARTIES

1. Plaintiff Giuffre is an individual who is a citizen of the State of Colorado.
2. Defendant Maxwell, who is domiciled in the Southern District of New York, is
   not a citizen of the state of Colorado.
   FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS
3. Virginia Giuffre became a victim of sex trafficking and repeated sexual abuse
   after being recruited by Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein when Giuffre was under the age
   of eighteen.
4. Between 1999 and 2002, with the assistance and participation of Maxwell,
   Epstein sexually abused Giuffre at numerous locations including his mansions in West Palm
   Beach, Florida, and in this District. Between 2001 and 2007, with the assistance of numerous
   co-conspirators, Epstein abused more than thirty (30) minor underage girls, a fact confirmed by
   state and federal law enforcement.
5. As part of their sex trafficking efforts, Epstein and Maxwell intimidated Giuffre
   into remaining silent about what had happened to her.
6. In September 2007, Epstein entered into a Non-Prosecution Agreement (“NPA”)
   that barred his prosecution for numerous federal sex crimes in the Southern District of Florida.
7. In the NPA, the United States additionally agreed that it would not institute any
   federal criminal charges against any potential co-conspirators of Epstein.
8. As a co-conspirator of Epstein, Maxwell was consequently granted immunity in
   the Southern District of Florida through the NPA.
9. Epstein ultimately pled guilty to procuring a minor for prostitution, and is now a
   registered sex offender.
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1. Rather than confer with the victims about the NPA, the U.S. Attorney’s Office
   and Epstein agreed to a “confidentiality” provision in the Agreement barring its disclosure to
   anyone—including Epstein’s victims. As a consequence, the victims were not told about the
   NPA.
2. On July 7, 2008, a young woman identified as Jane Doe No. 1, one of Jeffrey
   Epstein’s victims (other than Giuffre), filed a petition to enforce her rights under the Crime
   Victims’ Rights Act (“CVRA”), 18 U.S.C. ¶ 3771, alleging that the Government failed to
   provide her the rights promised in the CVRA with regard to the plea arrangement with Epstein.
   The litigation remains ongoing.
3. On or about May 4, 2009, Virginia Giuffre—identified then as Jane Doe No.
   102—filed a complaint against Jeffrey Epstein in the United States District Court for the
   Southern District of Florida. The complaint included allegations made by Giuffre that pertained
   to Maxwell.
4. In pertinent part, the Jane Doe No. 102 complaint described in detail how
   Maxwell recruited Giuffre (who was then a minor girl) to become a victim of sex trafficking by
   introducing Giuffre to Jeffrey Epstein. With the assistance of Maxwell, Epstein was able to
   sexually abuse Giuffre for years until Giuffre eventually escaped.
5. The Jane Doe No. 102 complaint contained the first public allegations made on
   behalf of Giuffre regarding Maxwell.
6. As civil litigation against Epstein moved forward on behalf of Giuffre and many
   other similarly-situated victims, Maxwell was served with a subpoena for deposition. Her
   testimony was sought concerning her personal knowledge and role in Epstein’s abuse of Giuffre
   and others.
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1. To avoid her deposition, Maxwell claimed that her mother fell deathly ill and that
   consequently she was leaving the United States for London with no plans of ever returning. In
   fact, however, within weeks of using that excuse to avoid testifying, Maxwell had returned to
   New York.
2. In 2011, two FBI agents located Giuffre in Australia—where she had been hiding
   from Epstein and Maxwell for several years—and arranged to meet with her at the U.S.
   Consulate in Sidney. Giuffre provided truthful and accurate information to the FBI about
   Epstein and Maxwell’s sexual abuse.
3. Ultimately, as a mother and one of Epstein’s many victims, Giuffre believed that
   she should speak out about her sexual abuse experiences in hopes of helping others who had also
   suffered from sexual trafficking and abuse.
4. On December 23, 2014, Giuffre incorporated an organization called Victims
   Refuse Silence, Inc., a Florida not-for-profit corporation.
5. Giuffre intended Victims Refuse Silence to change and improve the fight against
   sexual abuse and human trafficking. The goal of her organization was, and continues to be, to
   help survivors surmount the shame, silence, and intimidation typically experienced by victims of
   sexual abuse. Giuffre has now dedicated her professional life to helping victims of sex
   trafficking.
6. On December 30, 2014, Giuffre moved to join the on-going litigation previously
   filed by Jane Doe 1 in the Southern District of Florida challenging Epstein’s non-prosecution
   agreement by filing her own joinder motion.
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1. Giuffre’s motion described Maxwell’s role as one of the main women who
   Epstein used to procure under-aged girls for sexual activities and a primary co-conspirator and
   participant in his sexual abuse and sex trafficking scheme.
2. In January, 2015, Maxwell undertook a concerted and malicious campaign to
   discredit Giuffre and to so damage her reputation that Giuffre’s factual reporting of what had
   happened to her would not be credited.
3. As part of Maxwell’s campaign she directed her agent, Ross Gow, to attack
   Giuffre’s honesty and truthfulness and to accuse Giuffre of lying.
4. On or about January 3, 2015, speaking through her authorized agent, Maxwell
   issued an additional false statement to the media and public designed to maliciously discredit
   Giuffre. That statement contained the following deliberate falsehoods:
   (a) That Giuffre’s sworn allegations “against Ghislaine Maxwell are untrue.”
   (b) That the allegations have been “shown to be untrue.”
   (c) That Giuffre’s “claims are obvious lies.”
5. Maxwell’s January 3, 2015, statement incorporated by reference “Ghislaine
   Maxwell’s original response to the lies and defamatory claims remains the same,” an earlier
   statement that had falsely described Giuffre’s factual assertions as “entirely false” and “entirely
   untrue.”
6. Maxwell made the same false and defamatory statements as set forth above, in the
   Southern District of New York and elsewhere in a deliberate effort to maliciously discredit
   Giuffre and silence her efforts to expose sex crimes committed around the world by Maxwell,
   Epstein, and other powerful persons. Maxwell did so with the purpose and effect of having
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others repeat such false and defamatory statements and thereby further damaged Giuffre’s
reputation.

1. Maxwell made her statements to discredit Giuffre in close consultation with
   Epstein. Maxwell made her statements knowing full well they were false.
2. Maxwell made her statements maliciously as part of an effort to conceal sex
   trafficking crimes committed around the world by Maxwell, Epstein and other powerful persons.
3. Maxwell intended her false and defamatory statements set out above to be
   broadcast around the world and to intimidate and silence Giuffre from making further efforts to
   expose sex crimes committed by Maxwell, Epstein, and other powerful persons.
4. Maxwell intended her false statements to be specific statements of fact, including
   a statement that she had not recruited an underage Giuffre for Epstein’s abuse. Maxwell’s false
   statements were broadcast around the world and were reasonably understood by those who heard
   them to be specific factual claims by Maxwell that she had not helped Epstein recruit or sexually
   abuse Giuffre and that Giuffre was a liar.
5. On or about January 4, 2015, Maxwell continued her campaign to falsely and
   maliciously discredit Giuffre. When a reporter on a Manhattan street asked Maxwell about
   Giuffre’s allegations against Maxwell, she responded by saying: “I am referring to the statement
   that we made.” The New York Daily News published a video of this response by Maxwell
   indicating that she made her false statements on East 65th Street in Manhattan, New York, within
   the Southern District of New York.

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COUNT I
DEFAMATION

1. Plaintiff Giuffre re-alleges paragraphs 1 - 37 as if the same were fully set forth
   herein. Maxwell made her false and defamatory statements deliberately and maliciously with the
   intent to intimidate, discredit and defame Giuffre.
2. In January 2015, and thereafter, Maxwell intentionally and maliciously released to
   the press her false statements about Giuffre in an attempt to destroy Giuffre’s reputation and
   cause her to lose all credibility in her efforts to help victims of sex trafficking.
3. Maxwell additionally released to the press her false statements with knowledge
   that her words would dilute, discredit and neutralize Giuffre’s public and private messages to
   sexual abuse victims and ultimately prevent Giuffre from effectively providing assistance and
   advocacy on behalf of other victims of sex trafficking, or to expose her abusers.
4. Using her role as a powerful figure with powerful friends, Maxwell’s statements
   were published internationally for the malicious purpose of further damaging a sexual abuse and
   sexual trafficking victim; to destroy Giuffre’s reputation and credibility; to cause the world to
   disbelieve Giuffre; and to destroy Giuffre’s efforts to use her experience to help others suffering
   as sex trafficking victims.
5. Maxwell, personally and through her authorized agent, Ross Gow, intentionally
   and maliciously made false and damaging statements of fact concerning Giuffre, as detailed
   above, in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere.
6. The false statements made by Gow were all made by him as Maxwell’s
   authorized agent and were made with direct and actual authority from Maxwell as the principal.
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1. The false statements that Maxwell made personally, and through her authorized
   agent Gow, not only called Giuffre’s truthfulness and integrity into question, but also exposed
   Giuffre to public hatred, contempt, ridicule, and disgrace.
2. Maxwell made her false statements knowing full well that they were completely
   false. Accordingly, she made her statements with actual and deliberate malice, the highest
   degree of awareness of falsity.
3. Maxwell’s false statements constitute libel, as she knew that they were going to
   be transmitted in writing, widely disseminated on the internet and in print. Maxwell intended her
   false statements to be published by newspaper and other media outlets internationally, and they
   were, in fact, published globally, including within the Southern District of New York.
4. Maxwell’s false statements constitute libel per se inasmuch as they exposed
   Giuffre to public contempt, ridicule, aversion, and disgrace, and induced an evil opinion of her in
   the minds of right-thinking persons.
5. Maxwell’s false statements also constitute libel per se inasmuch as they tended to
   injure Giuffre in her professional capacity as the president of a non-profit corporation designed
   to help victims of sex trafficking, and inasmuch as they destroyed her credibility and reputation
   among members of the community that seeks her help and that she seeks to serve.
6. Maxwell’s false statements directly stated and also implied that in speaking out
   against sex trafficking Giuffre acted with fraud, dishonesty, and unfitness for the task.
   Maxwell’s false statements directly and indirectly indicate that Giuffre lied about being recruited
   by Maxwell and sexually abused by Epstein and Maxwell. Maxwell’s false statements were
   reasonably understood by many persons who read her statements as conveying that specific
   intention and meaning.
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