A Judge Just Ordered Ten Years Of Sealed Maxwell Documents Unsealed

Judge Loretta Preska issued an order today in the Southern District of New York unsealing material from Virginia Giuffre’s civil defamation case against Ghislaine Maxwell. Hawk reads the order itself, not the coverage of it.

The background matters. Judge Sweet’s 2016 protective order let the attorneys themselves designate documents confidential, with no judicial review unless the other side objected. Dozens of filings went under seal on that basis and stayed there after the 2017 settlement. Maxwell was deposed twice in 2016, and prosecutors later charged her with perjury over that testimony.

Preska’s holding is that the Epstein Files Transparency Act controls. A federal statute can override grand jury secrecy under Rule 6(e). It does not violate separation of powers or due process. Maxwell raised seven objections and the court rejected the lot.

What comes out is the material Giuffre’s attorneys produced to the government under grand jury subpoena, subject to redaction obligations. The parties and the Miami Herald have until August 28th to propose next steps.

Civil discovery is broader than criminal. There is likely a great deal here nobody has seen.