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- 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. - 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. - 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. - On December 23, 2014, Giuffre incorporated an organization called Victims
Refuse Silence, Inc., a Florida not-for-profit corporation. - 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. - 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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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.
discredit Giuffre and to so damage her reputation that Giuffre’s factual reporting of what had
happened to her would not be credited.
Giuffre’s honesty and truthfulness and to accuse Giuffre of lying.
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.”
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.”
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.
Epstein. Maxwell made her statements knowing full well they were false.
trafficking crimes committed around the world by Maxwell, Epstein and other powerful persons.
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.
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.
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
herein. Maxwell made her false and defamatory statements deliberately and maliciously with the
intent to intimidate, discredit and defame Giuffre.
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.
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.
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.
and maliciously made false and damaging statements of fact concerning Giuffre, as detailed
above, in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere.
authorized agent and were made with direct and actual authority from Maxwell as the principal.
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agent Gow, not only called Giuffre’s truthfulness and integrity into question, but also exposed
Giuffre to public hatred, contempt, ridicule, and disgrace.
false. Accordingly, she made her statements with actual and deliberate malice, the highest
degree of awareness of falsity.
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.
Giuffre to public contempt, ridicule, aversion, and disgrace, and induced an evil opinion of her in
the minds of right-thinking persons.
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.
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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read those statements as making specific factual claims that Giuffre was lying about specific
facts.
description of factual events, and many persons who read Maxwell’s statements reasonably
understood that those statements referred directly to Giuffre’s account of her life as a young
teenager with Maxwell and Epstein.
on television, through newspapers, by word of mouth and on the internet. As intended by
Maxwell, her statements were published and disseminated around the world.
Epstein and other powerful persons acting as Epstein’s representatives and surrogates. Maxwell
made and coordinated her statements in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere with
the specific intent to amplify the defamatory effect those statements would have on Giuffre’s
reputation and credibility.
her general and specific authorization, adopted, distributed, and published the false statements on
Maxwell’s behalf. In addition, Maxwell and her authorized agents made false statements in
reckless disregard of their truth or falsity and with malicious intent to destroy Giuffre’s
reputation and credibility; to prevent her from further disseminating her life story; and to cause
persons hearing or reading Giuffre’s descriptions of truthful facts to disbelieve her entirely.
Maxwell made her false statements wantonly and with the specific intent to maliciously damage
Giuffre’s good name and reputation in a way that would destroy her efforts to administer her
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non-profit foundation, or share her life story, and thereby help others who have suffered from
sexual abuse.
statements about Giuffre, Giuffre suffered substantial damages in an amount to be proven at trial.
damage, psychological pain and suffering, mental anguish and emotional distress, and other
direct and consequential damages and losses.
and particularly egregious conduct. Maxwell sexually abused Giuffre and helped Epstein to
sexually abuse Giuffre, and then, in order to avoid having these crimes discovered, Maxwell
wantonly and maliciously set out to falsely accuse, defame, and discredit Giuffre. In so doing,
Maxwell’s efforts constituted a public wrong by deterring, damaging, and setting back Giuffre’s
efforts to help victims of sex trafficking. Accordingly, this is a case in which exemplary and
punitive damages are appropriate.
others from wantonly and maliciously using a campaign of lies to discredit Giuffre and other
victims of sex trafficking.
PRAYER FOR RELIEF
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff Giuffre respectfully requests judgment against Defendant
Maxwell, awarding compensatory, consequential, exemplary, and punitive damages in an
amount to be determined at trial, but in excess of the $75,000 jurisdictional requirement; costs of
suit; attorneys’ fees; and such other and further relief as the Court may deem just and proper.
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JURY DEMAND
Plaintiff hereby demands a trial by jury on all causes of action asserted within this
pleading.
Dated September 21, 2015.
/s/ David Boies
David Boies
Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP
333 Main Street
Armonk, NY 10504
/s/ Sigrid McCawley
Sigrid McCawley
(Pro Hac Vice Pending)
Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP
401 E. Las Olas Blvd., Suite 1200
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
(954) 356-0011
/s/ Ellen Brockman
Ellen Brockman
Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP
575 Lexington Ave
New York, New York 10022
(212) 446-2300
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