Ghislaine Maxwell cannot keep deposition details secret, rules U.S. appeals court

A U.S. appeals court on Monday rejected Ghislaine Maxwell's effort to block the release of an April 2016 deposition concerning her relationship with the late financier and registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The order by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan is a defeat for the British socialite, who said releasing the deposition could undermine her ability to defend against criminal charges she enabled Epstein's sexual abuse of girls.

In its unsigned order, the appeals court said U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan correctly concluded that there was a presumption the public had a right to access Maxwell's deposition. It also said Preska did not abuse her discretion in rejecting Maxwell's "meritless arguments" that her interests superseded that presumption.

Lawyers for Maxwell did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Maxwell, 58, has pleaded not guilty to charges she helped Epstein recruit and groom underage girls as young as 14 to engage in illegal sexual acts in the mid-1990s.

She has also pleaded not guilty to perjury for having denied involvement in the deposition.

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