Maxwell Agrees to Revealing Identities of Men in Lawsuit

Ghislaine Maxwell no longer opposes the release of the names of eight men who might have been involved in sex trafficking by a court. Maxwell, the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein who was convicted on five counts last month in New York, had supported keeping the names secret. Maxwell changed that stance in a court filing by her lawyers on Wednesday, Newsweek reports, saying she's fine to leave the decision up to the court. "Each of the listed Does has counsel who have ably asserted their own respective privacy rights," the filing said.

Virginia Giuffre, who currently has a sexual abuse lawsuit against Britain's Prince Andrew in court, has pressed for the names referenced in her 2016 defamation suit against Maxwell to be made public. In calling for the release in 2020, Giuffre aimed a tweet at Maxwell, posting, "You hold all the secrets!" Giuffre's lawyers told the court this week that "generalized aversion to embarrassment and negativity that may come from being associated with Epstein and Maxwell is not enough to warrant continued sealing of information."

Maxwell received a sentencing date Friday in her own trial of June 28, per the AP, though her lawyers still are arguing for a new trial. One of the jurors who voted to convict her has publicly said he used his personal experience as a child victim of sexual abuse to convince the panel to find Maxwell guilty. Judge Alison Nathan has not yet ruled on that issue. Prosecutors told the judge this week they'll drop perjury charges against Maxwell if post-trial motions are rejected and sentencing proceeds. (More Ghislaine Maxwell stories.)