2 mystery parties try to restrict release of documents in Jeffrey Epstein civil suit
MIAMI - Two mysterious parties, labeling themselves Jane Doe and John Doe, have filed separate legal briefs in an attempt to limit the public release of personal information that could connect them to an underage sex trafficking operation allegedly run by New York financier Jeffrey Epstein and his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell. Jane Doe, represented by Kerrie Campbell, a Washington-based gender equality lawyer, appears to be a victim who wants to remain unidentified, but indicated she is amicable to the release of some information - as long as it doesn't identify her, court documents filed this week show. The other party, John Doe, submitted a brief in support of Maxwell, who continues to mount a last-ditch legal campaign to keep court records that allegedly contain details of their sex exploits involving young girls - and other third party people who may be involved - under seal.
It's not clear whether the latest challenges will delay release of the documents, said Sanford Bohrer, attorney for the Miami Herald, which filed an action to unseal the files last year as part of its investigation into Epstein called "Perversion of Justice."
The court case currently at issue is a 2015 defamation lawsuit filed against Maxwell by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims she was recruited by Maxwell at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's resort in Palm Beach, when she was 16 years old. She says Maxwell brought her to Epstein's mansion and she was trafficked for sex to a number of prominent and powerful men. John Doe, in his amicus brief, claims that he was not party to the Maxwell lawsuit, and has never been publicly identified or accused by Giuffre of being a co-conspirator of Epstein or "a person with whom she had sexual relations," according to the brief, filed Tuesday by lawyers Nicholas J. Lewin, Paul M. Krieger and Nicholas F. Bolz in New York.
"So if he didn't do anything, then why doesn't he want to be identified?" Bohrer said. "We know that 'John' isn't a victim - so his best scenario is he believes he is wrongly accused," Bohrer said. "But that's the purpose of this process - you don't get to seal it for that reason. We should have facts, compelling facts, that indicate a legally protectable interest that is so compelling that it justifies denying public access." Maxwell's attorneys Tuesday filed a motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York to prevent enforcement of an earlier decision by the court to release a large portion of the files. Based on the filings, the case is believed to contain a range of evidence, including testimony from other possible underage victims who say they were trafficked. All parties to the case, including the Miami Herald, have agreed to redact the names of minors, Social Security numbers and other details that would identify victims.
https://www.fltimes.com/news/nation/mystery-parties-try-to-restrict-release-of-documents-in-jeffrey/article_649340dc-100b-53ea-b9f2-51b74cc68611.html