Topline
Releasing grand jury materials in Ghislaine Maxwell’s case would cause “severe” harm as she tries to get a new trial, the socialite’s lawyer argued in a court filing Wednesday, as the Trump administration has asked for materials in Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein’s cases to be unsealed in order to comply with the new federal law forcing the Epstein files’ release.
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Cipriani Wall Street on March 15, 2005 in New York City.
Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Key Facts
Maxwell’s attorneys filed a letter Wednesday responding to the Trump administration’s request to unseal the grand jury materials, which include evidence shown to the grand jury as they decided whether to indict Maxwell, and a transcript of the proceedings.
The Trump administration asked a federal judge to release the grand jury materials and modify a protective order that has kept materials in the case under wraps, citing the newly passed law, which requires the federal government to make almost all of its Epstein-related materials public this month.
Maxwell’s attorneys said they would not take a position on the grand jury materials being released, noting their “understanding” that the act requiring the materials’ release has been signed into law.
They argued the materials being public could jeopardize Maxwell’s case, however, as the Epstein associate is planning to seek a new trial.
The Supreme Court recently rejected Maxwell’s case and left the guilty verdict against her intact, but Maxwell has signaled she intends to still file a separate petition that argues her detention is invalid.
The grand jury materials “contain untested and unproven allegations,” Maxwell’s lawyers argued, and if released, they would “create undue prejudice so severe that it would foreclose the possibility of a fair retrial” if Maxwell’s new petition is granted.
What To Watch For
The court is expected to rule on the issue of releasing the grand jury materials as soon as next week, after the Trump administration submits a response to Maxwell’s letter that’s due by Dec. 10. Other courts are also separately considering whether to release other grand jury materials in the government’s cases against Epstein. The Epstein Transparency Act requires all of the government’s files on Epstein—with limited exceptions—to be released by Dec. 19, which is 30 days after the bill became law.