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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
--------------------------------------------------X
......
.........................................
VIRGINIA L. GIUFFRE,
Plaintiff,
v.
15-cv-07433-RWS
GHISLAINE MAXWELL,
Defendant.
--------------------------------------------------X
Response in Opposition to Plaintiffâs Motion to Enforce the Courtâs Order and
Direct Defendant to Answer Deposition Questions Filed Under Seal
Laura A. Menninger
Jeffrey S. Pagliuca
HADDON, MORGAN, AND FOREMAN, P.C.
East 10th Avenue
Denver, CO 80203
303.831.7364
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1
FACTUAL BACKGROUND ................................................................................................. 2
I. PLAINTIFFâS FAILURE TO IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS CLAIMED
UNANSWERED REQUIRES DENIAL OF THE MOTION ............................................. 8
II. THE REQUESTED TOPIC AREAS ARE CUMULATIVE, DUPLICATIVE AND NO
GOOD CAUSE EXISTS FOR PERMITTING ADDITIONAL DEPOSITION TIME ...... 10
III. COUNSEL INSTRUCTED MAXWELL NOT TO ANSWER TO ENFORCE THE
COURTâS ORDER AND TO PREVENT HARASSMENT BY PLAINTIFFâS COUNSEL
.................................................................................................................................... 13
A. Objected to Question Number 1: ....................................................................................... 13
B. Objected to Questions Number 2 and 3. ............................................................................ 14
C. âObjectedâ to Question Number 4. .................................................................................... 15
D. âObjectedâ to Question Number 5 ..................................................................................... 15
E. âObjectedâ to Question Number 6 ..................................................................................... 15
F. Objected to Question Number 7 ........................................................................................ 16
G. Objection to Question Number 8 ....................................................................................... 17
H. Objections to Questions 9, 10, and 11. .............................................................................. 17
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE .............................................................................................. 25
i
Defendant Ghislaine Maxwell, by and through her counsel, hereby submits the following
Response in Opposition (âResponseâ) to Plaintiffâs Motion to Enforce the Courtâs Order and
Direct Defendant to Answer Deposition Questions Filed Under Seal (âMotionâ), as follows:
INTRODUCTION
This lawsuit presents one relatively simple question: is Plaintiffâs claim that she was
sexually abused, sexually trafficked and held as a âsex slaveâ by Jeffrey Epstein between 1999
and 2002 âwith the assistance and participation ofâ Ms. Maxwell substantially true? Plaintiff
already has admitted, under oath, that substantial portions of her story are untrue; she has so far
refused to say under oath what other lies printed by the press about her story are untrue, but has
admitted that journalist Sharon Churcher âgot it wrong.â For example, Plaintiff has admitted that
she did not meet Ms. Maxwell or Mr. Epstein in 1999 (or in 1998) at the age of 14 or 15, as she
previously has sworn and as she told members of the press. Declaration of Jeffrey S. Pagliuca
âPagliuca Decl.â), Composite Ex. A (Testimony of Plaintiff Virginia Giuffre on May 3, 2016), at
26-27, 220-226. Plaintiff admitted that she did not spend her sweet 16th birthday with Mr.
Epstein and Ms. Maxwell as she included in her book manuscript, her Jane Doe #102 Complaint
and in the story she sold to the Daily Mail. Id. at 102. Plaintiffâs counsel has admitted that it
was a mistake to sue Alan Dershowitz for defamation, after he provided them documentation
establishing he never was in their clientâs presence, nor did he have sex with her. Pagliuca Decl.,
Ex. B. And Plaintiffâs story about attending a dinner party with on Little St. James
was debunked by none other than . Id.
Yet, undeterred, Plaintiff and her counsel continue to use this lawsuit to seek discovery of
matters far afield of the one simple question posed in the defamation claim, to explore events
that occurred well past 2002, when Plaintiff lived in Australia and had no contact with Ms.
Maxwell or Mr. Epstein. The current witch-hunt has now expanded into the private personal life
1
of defendant Ghislaine Maxwell. The harassing, extended, repetitive, cumulative and redundant
continued deposition of Ms. Maxwell should be concluded.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
On April 22, 2016 Plaintiff deposed Ms. Maxwell for a full seven hours. The transcript
of that deposition is 418 pages long. Ms. Maxwell did not assert any privilege against self-
incrimination and was questioned extensively about, among other things: her relationship with
Jeffrey Epstein, her knowledge of âsexual trafficking,â sex with minors, non-consensual sex, sex
involving the Plaintiff and others, sex involving Plaintiff and Mr. Epstein, sex involving the
Plaintiff and Ms. Maxwell, sex involving the Plaintiff, Ms. Maxwell and Mr. Epstein. She was
asked questions about whether she recruited girls for Ms. Epstein to have sex with, her
knowledge of Ms. Epsteinâs sex with a number of people. She was asked questions about âsex
toys,â pornographic images, child pornography, and nudity at Mr. Epsteinâs house. Ms. Maxwell
answered these questions, and many others, to the best of her ability. See Pagliuca Decl.,
Composite Exhibit C (Transcript of (First) Deposition of Ghislaine Maxwell on April 22, 2016).
During her first deposition, Ms. Maxwell was freely questioned and testified about the
following:
ďˇ She never had a sexual encounter with Plaintiff, ever. Id. at 76:3-11.
ďˇ She never saw Plaintiff massage Mr. Epstein. Id. at 75:12-24.
ďˇ She never saw Jeffrey Epstein and Plaintiff in a sexual situation. Id. at 75:23- 76:l.
ďˇ She did not have a set of outfits for Plaintiff to wear. Id. at 69:1-24, and again at 117:4-
15.
ďˇ She had no knowledge of any non-consensual sex acts involving Mr. Epstein. Id. at 55:5-
15.
ďˇ She never had non-consensual sex with anyone. Id. at 62:19-20 & 63:23-25.
2
ďˇ She did not train Plaintiff to ârecruitâ other girls for massages or sexual massages. Id. at
81:21- 82:7.
ďˇ She never arranged for or asked Plaintiff to have sex with anyone. Id. at 58:6-11.
ďˇ She never gave a massage with Plaintiff in the room with Mr. Epstein. Id. at 19:16-21.
ďˇ She never gave a massage to Mr. Epstein with a female that was under the age of 18 in
the room. Id. at 22:11-14.
ďˇ She never observed Mr. Epstein having a massage given by an individual, a female, who
was under the age of 18. Id. at 22:15-18.
ďˇ She never had sex with . Id. at 38:19-23.
ďˇ She never observed Jeffrey Epstein having sex with Id. at 38:24- 39:2.
ďˇ She was unaware if Jeffrey Epstein was having sexual contact with when
she was 13 years old. Id. at 39:3-5.
ďˇ She was never involved in an orgy with . Id. at 40:16-18.
ďˇ She had no knowledge of whether was involved with sex with Jeffrey
Epstein and girls over the age of 18. Id. at 46:13-16.
ďˇ She had no knowledge of whether recruited other girls for sex with Jeffrey
Epstein. Id. at 46:17-21.
ďˇ She did not know the precise nature of Jeffrey Epsteinâs relationship with . Id.
at 48:5-6.
ďˇ She was unaware of any sexual acts with masseuses and Jeffrey Epstein that were non-
consensual. Id. at 55:5-15.
ďˇ She discussed her knowledge of . Id. at 55:17- 56:20.
ďˇ She had no knowledge of telling the police that Jeffrey Epstein sexually
assaulted her. Id. at 56:16-20.
ďˇ She had no knowledge of having sex with Jeffrey Epstein. Id. at 65:10-15.
ďˇ She never had sex with Jeffrey Epstein, Plaintiff, and . Id. at 65:8-10.
ďˇ She had no knowledge of bringing females to the house to massage Jeffrey
Epstein. Id. at 67:5-13.
ďˇ She had no knowledge about a basket of sex toys. Id. at 70:25- 75:4 and again at 242:3-
243:13.
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ďˇ She was unaware of Jeffrey Epstein ever having his nipples pinched while having sex
with a minor. Id. at 82:23-83:4.
ďˇ She never met anyone underage in London to provide a massage for Jeffrey Epstein. Id.
at 97:25-98:5.
ďˇ She had no knowledge about bringing girls to Jeffrey Epstein for the
purpose of providing massages. Id. at 99:2-21.
ďˇ She never participated in obtaining visas for foreign girls. Id. at 100:9.
ďˇ She did not believe it was Jeffrey Epsteinâs preference to start sex with a massage. Id. at
100:10-20.
ďˇ She never trained a female under the age of 18 at Jeffrey Epsteinâs home. Id. at 157:5-10.
ďˇ She has no knowledge whether ever asked females to come over to see
Jeffrey Epstein for the purpose of sexual massage. Id. at 268:21-24.
ďˇ She had no knowledge of any sexual relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and
Id. at 305:5-23.
ďˇ She was aware of and understood that she was Jeffrey Epsteinâs girlfriend
and spent a lot of time with him in 1999-2000. Id. at 364:5-365:11.
Because Ms. Maxwell had not, by virtue of becoming a defendant in this case, injected
her entire personal sexual history into this litigation counsel for Ms. Maxwell, during the first 7
hour deposition, instructed Ms. Maxwell to not answer questions related to consensual sexual
activity with adults. No objection was raised, and no instruction to not answer lodged, to
questions regarding Ms. Maxwellâs knowledge of sexual activity (consensual or non-consensual)
by Mr. Epstein or others with children, Plaintiff, or other persons. No objections were made, or
instructions to not answer, to questions about whether Ms. Maxwell assisted Mr. Epstein in the
alleged sexual trafficking of the Plaintiff from 1999 to 2002. Ms. Maxwell answered questions
about sexual trafficking, prostitution, her job with Mr. Epstein, and police reports related to Mr.
Epstein. Ms. Maxwell was questioned, without any instruction not to answer, about message
pads, phone lists, the hiring practices related to massages, hiring practices in general, whether
Jeffrey Epstein had a scheme to recruit underage girls for sexual massages and whether Jeffrey
4
Epsteinâs assistants would arrange times for underage girls to perform sexual massages.
Pagliuca Decl., Ex. C at 253-55. She was extensively questioned about various message pads
recovered from Jeffrey Epsteinâs home by the Palm Beach Police Department. Id. at 147:23-
167:23. She was extensively questioned regarding her knowledge about . Id. at
307:6-312:12. She was extensively questioned about a list containing names and phone numbers
under the heading âMassage Florida.â Id. at 313:18 â 334:8. Simply stated, with the exception of
her adult consensual sex life, Plaintiff was free to question Ms. Maxwell, and in fact questioned
Ms. Maxwell on any topic. Importantly, Plaintiffâs original motion recognized this fact, seeking
only to response Plaintiff on one subject: âDefendant should be ordered to sit for a follow-up
deposition and directed to answer questions regarding her knowledge of alleged âadultâ sexual
activity.â Plaintiffâs Motion to Compel Deposition Questions, WHEREFORE Clause, at 10
(Doc. # 143).
5
Presumably the Court did not authorize repetitive questioning about
topics that had been asked and answered in the prior deposition.
. The instruction not to not to answer questions
about sexual activity and massages was limited to any activity involving consensual adults. See
Plaintiffâs Motion to Compel Deposition Questions at 10 (Doc. #143).
Given that the majority of the questions had already been posed and answered over a full
seven-hour time period one might reasonably assume that Ms. Maxwellâs second deposition
would be short and direct. Unfortunately, Plaintiffâs counsel chose to ignore the Courtâs Order,
repeatedly sought to reopen previously completed deposition topics and tried to ask questions
about new topics completely unrelated to the limited purpose authorized. Pagliuca Decl., Ex. D
(Transcript of (Second) Deposition of Ghislaine Maxwell on July 22, 2016). The entire
deposition was far beyond the specific request made by Plaintiff in her Motion that Ms. Maxwell
6
be required to answer questions about adult consensual sexual activity â the only questions on
which instructions were given in the first deposition. Yet, broad latitude was given by counsel in
the deposition, permitting pages of duplicative, redundant examination on countless topics which
had already been asked and fully answer in the first disposition. By way of example:
First Deposition Second Deposition
Duplicative Topic of Questioning
(Exhibit C) (Exhibit D)
Circumstances surrounding her first meeting of 14:9-19:18
Plaintiff and if she held herself out as a 35:11-36:20 65:4-70:5
professional masseur 213:5-220:3
12:22-14:8;
If she saw women under the age of 18 (first
22:15-24:9;
deposition) or 21 (second deposition) at 71:20-73:18
99:2-100:4;
Epsteinâs houses
122:19-122:14
Her knowledge of , her job, how she 59:7-63:16;
was hired, and if Ms. Maxwell ever received 286:23-293:13; 74:2-78:191
massages from 307:6-312:12
Knowledge of or meetings with 55:20-56:20; 95:14-98:10;
62:21-25 103:19-113:22
Her knowledge of and 120:22-122:5;
40:19-47:14
interactions with Mr. Epstein 126:22-129:12
1
Consistent with Ms. Maxwellâs testimony,
.
7
First Deposition Second Deposition
Duplicative Topic of Questioning
(Exhibit C) (Exhibit D)
47:15-49:18;
Her knowledge of , when she last 56:21-57:11;
spoke to , what job was, 254:25-256:8; 117:14-118:9;
and her knowledge of sexual relations between 328:21-329:6; 125:2-126:21
llen and Mr. Epstein 396:4-21;
411:14-412:22
329:7-330:12;
Her interactions with 129:15-132:6
331:9-335:10
379:22-380:18;
Her knowledge concerning 99:14-21; 150:6-17
sexual activities or interaction with Mr. Epstein 116:19-117:3;
166:21-167:23
Her knowledge of the identities of a list name 312:15-334:8 179:16 -184:15
titled âMassage â Floridaâ from an address book
marked in the first deposition and discussed at
length
THE QUESTIONS
I. PLAINTIFFâS FAILURE TO IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
CLAIMED UNANSWERED REQUIRES DENIAL OF THE MOTION
Plaintiff broadly, and inaccurately, claims now that at her second deposition, Ms.
Maxwell ârefused to answer many questionsâ related to sexual activity or ârefused to answer
questions about subject integral to this lawsuit.â Motion at 3-4. This assertion is patently
dispelled by a review of the second deposition transcript which is 193 pages long. Pagliuca
Decl., Ex. D. The deposition began at 9:04 a.m. and concluded at 2:51 p.m. The total time Ms.
Maxwell testified in this deposition was 4 hours and 52 minutes for a total combined deposition
8
time of 11 hours and 52 minutes. A total of 787 questions were posed to Ms. Maxwell in the
second deposition. Ms. Maxwell answered every question posed to her that fell within the scope
of the June 20 Order, many that were outside the scope, and countless questions that had been
asked and answered in her first deposition.
It is difficult to discern precisely what questions Plaintiff is complaining about in her
Motion because of her generalized and non-specific complaints. Plaintiff fails to cite to a single
instruction not to answer that 1) falls within the scope to the Courtâs Order and 2) that was not
answered when properly rephrased to fall within the scope of the Order. S.D.N.Y. Local Rules
require that:
A party seeking or opposing relief under Fed. R. Civ. P. 26 through 37
inclusive, or making or opposing any other motion or application, shall
quote or attach only those portions of the depositions, interrogatories,
requests for documents, requests for admissions, or other discovery or
disclosure materials, together with the responses and objections
thereto, that are the subject of the discovery motion or application, or
that are cited in papers submitted in connection with any other motion or
application. See also Civil Local Rule 37.1.
The failure to comply with Rule 37.1 and set forth the particular questions or responses
Plaintiff claims are deficient is âenough to require denial of the motion.â Sibley v. Choice Hotels
Int'l, No. CV 14-634 (JS) (AYS), 2015 WL 9413101, at *5 (E.D.N.Y. Dec. 22, 2015) (denying
motion to compel where party failed to identify the specific questions and responses to
interrogatories claimed deficient); see also Kilkenny v. Greenberg Traurig, LLP, No. 05 CIV.
6578NRB, 2008 WL 371808, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 7, 2008) (denying motion to compel where
specific questions and objection were not provided, noting rule 37.1 is âThis is not an academic
or ritual requirement. . . . Court cannot be tasked with performing the functions of Kilkenny's
legal counsel [by identifying claimed deficiencies] and thereby seen as advocating for one party
over another.â; Frattalone v. Markowitz, No. 91 CIV. 5854 (LMM), 1994 WL 494878, at *3
9
(S.D.N.Y. Sept. 9, 1994) (permitting reopening of deposition only if party could specifically
identify areas of inquiry previously foreclosed). To the extent Plaintiff has not identified specific
questions that Ms. Maxwell was instructed not to answer she has waived any issue related to the
questioning.
II. THE REQUESTED TOPIC AREAS ARE CUMULATIVE, DUPLICATIVE
AND NO GOOD CAUSE EXISTS FOR PERMITTING ADDITIONAL
DEPOSITION TIME
Plaintiffâs proffered âtopic areasâ that she would like to re-open the deposition to cover â
again â makes clear that what she is asking for is additional time â in excess of the almost 12
hours she has already had â to ask questions that have already been answered. This is
impermissible under Rule 30(d)(1) which prohibits depositions in excess of 7 hours seeking the
type of duplicative and cumulative testimony Plaintiff seeks.
The only testimony cited in the Motion are instances in which Ms. Maxwell had already
fully testified on the topic area. First, she cites questions concerning , a witness
who has been deposed in this case. What Plaintiff ignores is that Ms. Maxwell had already been
fully examined concerning her knowledge about and answered every question, with
the exception of a single questions regarding adult consensual sexual activity which was
answered in the second deposition. See Pagliuca Decl., Ex. C at 59:7-63:16; 286:23-293:13;
307:6-312:12 & Ex. D at 77:24 â 78:6 (âQ. Did Mr. Epstein, insofar as you believe, engage in
sexual activities with ? A. I would not know. I would say no. Q. Did you engage in
sexual activities with ? A. No.â). Despite this, leeway was given, and 5 pages of
repeated testimony concerning commenced and was permitted until the duplicative
nature of the testimony was simply too much. See Pagliuca Decl., Ex. D at 74:2-78:19.
10
Second, Plaintiff inaccurately complains that Ms. Maxwell refused to answer questions
concerning sexual activity involving two women named . Motion at 6.
Not so. Ms. Maxwell answered questions for fully 13 pages of her deposition concerning
. See Pagliuca Decl., Ex. D at 95-98 and 103-113. Ms. Maxwell answered well over 76
questions relating to including who they are, when she met them,
whether she ever saw them at Epsteinâs homes or her own home, whether Epstein ever had sex
with them, whether they worked for Epstein, whether they flew on planes together, gave or
received massages, participated in any sexual activities with one another, where they lived, the
description of their living environments, and whether journalist Vicky Ward ever told Ms.
Maxwell that Epstein had engaged in sexual activities. Id. This was on top of the questions that
Ms. Maxwell had already answered at her first deposition that were nearly identical: who are
, how did you meet them, whether they ever made any allegations of sexual abuse by
Epstein, or whether Ms. Maxwell had ever had non-consensual sexual contact with
Pagliuca Decl., Ex. C at 95:14 -98:10 & 103:19-113:22. In fact, at the first deposition,
Ms. Maxwell did not refuse to answer a single question regarding . Thus, all of the
questions at the second deposition were redundant, cumulative and outside of the Courtâs Order.
The only question that Ms. Maxwell refused to answer was: âWhat did Vicky Ward tell you
about when she talked to you?,â after which she answered another 10 pages of
questions that centered around whether Vicky Ward had said specific things regarding
Pagliuca Decl., Ex. D at 103-113. Ms. Maxwell has already flatly denied she had any
knowledge of the allegations posited by reporter Vicky Ward.
Plaintiff is not permitted to re-depose Ms. Maxwell on issues already covered, or which
she had the opportunity to cover, in the first 7-hour deposition, particularly in light of the
11
additional 4.5 hours permitted in the second deposition and the fact that she answered in the
second deposition the only pertinent questions permitted by the Court Order. See Fed. R. Civ. P.
30(d)(1) (âthe court must allow additional time consistent with Rule 26(b)(1) and (2) if needed
to fairly examine the deponentâ) (emphasis added). Rule 30(d)(1) requires a court to guard
against redundant or disproportionate discovery, stating that any additional deposition time must
be consistent with Rule 26(b)(1) and (2), prohibiting, among other things, cumulative and
duplicative testimony. The duplicative nature of the âtopicsâ requested by Plaintiff is
demonstrated by the previously cited testimony. It is compounded by the fact that
has fully testified concerning how she came to work for Epstein, what she did while working for
him, and how she was paid. See This Response at 20-21, infra. The redundancy of the requested
testimony (much of which is outside the scope of the Order) prohibits a finding of good cause for
reopening â yet again â Ms. Maxwellâs testimony. See Kleppinger v. Texas Dep't of Transp.,
283 F.R.D. 330, 333 (S.D. Tex. 2012) (âa party seeking a court order to extend the duration of
the examination must show âgood causeâ to justify such an orderâ including showing information
is not duplicative and cumulative).
Of course, Ms. Maxwell and her counsel had no desire to subject Ms. Maxwell to a third
deposition, thus permitting many questions that far exceeded the scope of the Order. When
called on to explain how extraneous questions were proper, Plaintiffâs counsel refused to proffer
why certain questions were within the Courtâs order leaving Ms. Maxwellâs counsel no option,
on a few occasions, to instruct Ms. Maxwell to not answer. Plaintiffâs counselâs refusal to
simply explain how objectionable questions were within the scope of the permitted deposition
makes clear that they were not, and should act as a waiver. See, e.g., Pagliuca Decl., Ex. D at
99-101.
12
III. COUNSEL INSTRUCTED MAXWELL NOT TO ANSWER TO ENFORCE
THE COURTâS ORDER AND TO PREVENT HARASSMENT BY
PLAINTIFFâS COUNSEL
The only questions to which counsel for Ms. Maxwell instructed her not to answer were
those that she had already answered or were outside the Courtâs Order permitting a re-opening of
the deposition. Fed. R. Civ. P. 30(c)(2) (instruction not to answer appropriate âwhen necessary
to ⌠enforce a limitation ordered by the courtâ). Plaintiff loosely points to eleven questions in
her Motion. She omits parts in which the question had already been answered, and she implies
an instruction not to answer where none was given. None of the cited questions merits the re-
opening of Ms. Maxwellâs deposition for a third bite at the apple.
A. Objected to Question Number 1:
âSo how did it happen, Ms. Maxwell, that who had been hired to answer phones,
ended up giving massages to you and Mr. Epstein.â
In Ms. Maxwellâs first, 7 hour, deposition she was questioned extensively about her
relationship with . See Pagliuca Decl. Ex. C at 59-63; 112-113; & 307-309.
Consistent with the Defendantâs position at that time, Plaintiff was free to ask, and asked,
questions about with the exception of consensual adult sexual contact. The only
instruction to not answer was limited to consensual adult sexual contact, of which there was
none. (Although in fact, Ms. Maxwell testified in her first deposition that the massages with
did not involve sex.). See Pagliuca Decl. Ex. C at 61:14-15..
In Ms. Maxwellâs second, 4.5 hour deposition, she was again questioned extensively
about . The questioning begins on page 74 of the transcript. Plaintiffâs counsel
asked dozens of questions about without any instruction to not answer. When the
questions became repetitive to the questions asked at the first deposition and strayed outside the
13
Courtâs Order counsel for Ms. Maxwell sought guidance form the Court, which was not
available.
Notwithstanding that the examination was repetitive, Ms. Maxwell responded to
questions, without instruction not to answer, that were within the Courtâs Order. She testified
that she did not have any sexual relationship or contact with and was unaware of
any sexual contact between Mr. Epstein and . See Pagliuca Decl. Ex. D at 77:24-
78:6. She also testified about and massages, both in her first deposition and the
second. See Pagliuca Decl. Ex. C at 59-63; 112-113; & 307-309 and Ex. D at 74-82:8.
When the question about for was asked for the fourth
time, the instruction not to answer was given. These questions had been asked in the first
deposition, could have been asked in greater detail in the first deposition, and were answered in
both depositions prior to the instruction not to answer being given:
and sometime after that went to massage school and began giving massages. Ms.
Maxwell was not sure how the transition occurred but believed âthat she went to massage school
and became a professional masseuse.â Id., at 75:10-11.
B. Objected to Questions Number 2 and 3.
âDid Mr. Epstein pay for the massages that she gave Mr. Epstein?â
âDo you know how much Mr. Epstein paid to give massages?â
Plaintiff has selectively and misleadingly provided only a portion of the transcript related
to this issue and ignores the fact that Plaintiff, in the first deposition, asked questions on the same
topic. Moreover, Ms. Maxwell previously testified that she did not pay and did not
know who paid her. See Pagliuca Decl. Ex. C at 59-63; 112-113; & 307-309 and Ex. D at 82:2-
7.
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C. âObjectedâ to Question Number 4.
âDo you know if was ever at ?â
This question is completely outside the Courtâs June 20, 2016 Order as it does not relate
to Ms. Maxwell, Mr. Epstein, massages, sex, or any property identified in this case. Regardless,
the witness was never instructed to not answer the question and did not refuse to answer
questions about . After the question was posed, counsel for Ms. Maxwell simply
asked for an explanation as to how the question was within the Courtâs Order. The witness was
not instructed not to answer. It appears that after considering the request for a proffer as to how
the question was within the Courtâs Order, the question was withdrawn and a different question
was posed: âMr. Boies: Let me approach it this way.â ⌠Did Ms. Ward tell you that?â The
questioning about continues many pages thereafter. See Pagliuca Decl., Ex. D at 99-
113.
D. âObjectedâ to Question Number 5
Without any record support Plaintiff claims that âDefendantâs counsel also stopped a line
of questioning in which defendant was asked if she recalled several girls brought
over to give a âmassageâ to Epstein.â Plaintiff cites no specific instruction not to answer because
one was never given. Ms. Maxwell answered questions about and was questioned
extensively regarding lists of names, about which Ms. Maxwell had no knowledge. Plaintiff was
not forced to âcease questioningâ about any person. The questioning occurred and Ms. Maxwell
responded.
E. âObjectedâ to Question Number 6
âWas there a list that was kept of women or girls who provided massages?â
The âlistâ was introduced as Exhibit 13 to Ms. Maxwellâs first deposition. Ms. Maxwell
was questioned extensively about the âlistâ and testified, without objection about the list. In her
15
second deposition, the same Exhibit 13 was introduced and Ms. Maxwell was asked, without
objection, questions relating to specific names on Exhibit 13. See Pagliuca Decl., Ex. C at 312-
334 and Ex. D at 179- 89.
Exhibit 13 was a document prepared by someone other than Ms. Maxwell, was not
maintained by Ms. Maxwell and over which Ms. Maxwell had no control. Given the extensive
testimony on the subject in both depositions, it was appropriate to instruct the witness to not
answer the question. This debate, however is unnecessary because the question was asked again
in a slightly different form and answered: Q: âDid you, or insofar as you are aware anyone,
maintain a list of females that provided massage services to Mr. Epstein at his residences?â A: âI
donât know anything about a list.â Id., Ex. D at 185:13-20. No follow up questions were asked
after this answer.
F. Objected to Question Number 7
âIn 2005, were you aware of any effort to destroy records of messages you had taken of
women who had called Mr. Epstein in the prior period?â
Ms. Maxwell was previously deposed about documents purportedly seized when Mr.
Epsteinâs house was searched by the Palm Beach Police Department. See Pagliuca Decl., Ex. C
at 312-19.
The Courtâs June 20, Order did not reopen the deposition to allow for baseless questions
about the destruction of evidence in 2005. Alleged destruction of records has nothing to do with
any of the 8 areas that the Court addressed. Accordingly, the objection is well founded.
Plaintiffâs tortured explanation about how the question fits into the Courtâs Order is nonsense.
16
G. Objection to Question Number 8
âIn terms of preparing for this deposition, what documents did you review?â
Ms. Maxwell was instructed to not answer the question as it related to privileged
communications between Ms. Maxwell and counsel. Ms. Maxwell was asked if any of the
documents refreshed her recollection about any of the events that occurred. Her response was:
âNo.â A follow up question was asked as to whether counsel provided Ms. Maxwell with any
documents and the answer was âOne, I believe.â
The communication between Ms. Maxwell and counsel was privileged, did not refresh
her recollection, and the question was properly objected to.
H. Objections to Questions 9, 10, and 11.
17
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(1) provides, in relevant part, that "[p]arties may
obtain discovery regarding any matter, not privileged, that is relevant to the claim or defense of
any party âŚ.â Although the scope of discovery is deliberately broad, a Court is not "required to
permit plaintiff to engage in a `fishing expedition' in the hope of supporting his claim." McGee v.
Hayes, 43 Fed.Appx. 214, 217 (10th Cir. 2002) (unpublished opinion); see also Tottenham v.
Trans World Gaming Corp., 2002 WL 1967023, at *2 (S.D.N.Y.2002) ("Discovery, however, is
not intended to be a fishing expedition, but rather is meant to allow the parties to flesh out
allegations for which they initially have at least a modicum of objective support") (quotations
omitted); Hardrick v. Legal Services Corp., 96 F.R.D. 617, 618 (D.D.C.1983) (courts should,
remain concerned about "fishing expeditions, discovery abuse and inordinate expense involved
in overbroad and far-ranging discovery requests.") (quotation omitted). "[B]road discovery is
not without limits and the trial court is given wide discretion in balancing the needs and rights of
both plaintiff and defendant." Gomez v. Martin Marietta Corp., 50 F.3d 1511, 1520 (10th
Cir.1995) (quotation omitted).
Although relevance in discovery is broader than that required for admissibility at trial,
"the object of inquiry must have some evidentiary value before an order to compel disclosure of
otherwise inadmissible material will issue." Zenith Electronics Corp. v. Exzec, Inc., No. 93 C
041, 1998 WL 9181, at *2 (N.D.I11.1998) (quoting Piacenti v. Gen. Motors Corp., 173 F.R.D.
221, 223 (N.D.I11.1997)). Courts have also recognized that "[t]he legal tenet that relevancy in
18
the discovery context is broader than in the context of admissibility should not be misapplied so
as to allow fishing expeditions in discovery." Id. (quotation omitted).
Under Rule 26(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure any party may move the court,
for good cause shown, for a protective order regarding pretrial discovery âwhich justice requires
to protect a party or person from annoyance, embarrassment, oppression or undue burden or
expense.â Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(c). âAlthough the Rule contains no specific reference to privacy or
to other rights or interests that may be implicated, such matters are implicit in the broad purpose
and language of the Rule.â Seattle Times Company v. Rhinehart, 467 U.S. 20, 35 (1984).
I. THE PURPORTED âFACTUAL BACKGROUNDâ CITED BY PLAINTIFF
IS NOT RELEVANT TO THE ISSUES IN THE CASE OR THIS MOTION
As Carl Sandburg famously said, âIf the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is
against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like
hell.â In this case, rather than pound the table, Plaintiff tries to distract from the issues at hand â
whether Ms. Maxwell fully answered all questions posed â by pointing to selective misleading
quotes from various other witnesses who have been deposed in this case. When viewed in their
entirety, those witnesses neither support Plaintiffâs single claim for defamation nor her claim for
19
relief in this Motion. In direct contradiction to Plaintiffâs fabricated story, the witnesses actually
testified as follows:
20
Joe Recarey, the lead investigator of Jeffrey Epstein from the Palm Beach County Police
Department, testified at his deposition, that (in contrast to Plaintiffâs claims):
ďˇ He and other investigators interviewed approximately 30-33 females in connection with
the case and identified approximately 17 victims. Pagliuca Decl., Ex. F at 179, 334.
ďˇ Ms. Maxwell was never a suspect in their investigation, was not a target of the grand jury
investigation, nothing of Ms. Maxwellâs was seized from the home during execution of
the search warrant, and Ms. Maxwell was never observed at the Epstein home during the
police surveillance. Id. at 177, 211-12,214-16, 257.
ďˇ None of the victims identified Ms. Maxwell as having ârecruitedâ them to come give
massages to Epstein. Id. at 180-82, 191-93, 195.
ďˇ None identified Ms. Maxwell as even being at the house when they were there, or paying
them, or instructing them on what to wear or how to act, or ever of having spoken to
them. Id.
ďˇ None were ever sexually trafficked to other men; Jeffrey Epstein was the only person
with whom they had any sexual contact. Id. at 300-301.
ďˇ None were ever asked to spend the night with Epstein, or travel with them. Id.
ďˇ He did not observe any child pornography or any photos of naked women in the home
when he went to help install cameras to catch a thief in Mr. Epsteinâs home in 2002 (who
turned out to be butler Juan Alessi). Id. at 288-90.
Juan Alessi. He served as the butler for approximately 10 year period at Mr. Epsteinâs
home in Palm Beach. He testified that:
21
ďˇ The majority of masseuses that came to the house were over the age of 20. Pagliuca
Decl., Ex. G at 200.
ďˇ Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell found the massage therapists from the high-end spas
nearby, including the Breakers, Boca Raton and Mar-a-Lago, as Mr. Alessi confirmed
when he called them at their jobs to arrange home visits. Id. at 187-88.
ďˇ The massage therapists were paid by check. Id. at 166.
ďˇ Plaintiff was working at one of these spas when she was hired, wearing an old-
fashioned nurseâs type uniform. Id. at 174.
ďˇ Contrary to Plaintiffâs main story, she did not go upstairs with Mr. Epstein the first
time she came over and he did not drive her home. Id. at 192.
22
CONCLUSION
Because Ms. Maxwell fully answered all questions within the Courtâs Order (and many
that were not) at her continued deposition, she respectfully requests the Court deny Plaintiffâs
23
Motion to Enforce the Courtâs Order and Direct Defendant to Answer Deposition Questions
Filed Under Seal. Further, because Plaintiff brought this Motion without a valid basis to assert
that she refused to answer any question that was (a) within this Courtâs Order and (b) not already
responded to either at her first deposition or during this deposition, Ms. Maxwell requests that
the fees and costs associated with defending this Motion be imposed on Plaintiff, her counsel or
both.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/ Jeffrey S. Pagliuca
Laura A. Menninger (LM-1374)
Jeffrey S. Pagliuca (pro hac vice)
HADDON, MORGAN AND FOREMAN, P.C.
150 East 10th Avenue
Denver, CO 80203
Phone: 303.831.7364
Fax: 303.832.2628
[email protected]
Attorneys for Ghislaine Maxwell
24
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I certify that on August 8, 2016, I electronically served Response in Opposition to Plaintiffâs
Motion to Enforce the Courtâs Order and Direct Defendant to Answer Deposition Questions
Filed Under Seal via ECF on the following:
Sigrid S. McCawley Paul G. Cassell
Meredith Schultz 383 S. University Street
BOIES, SCHILLER & FLEXNER, LLP Salt Lake City, UT 84112
401 East Las Olas Boulevard, Ste. 1200 [email protected]
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
[email protected]
[email protected]
J. Stanley Pottinger
Bradley J. Edwards 49 Twin Lakes Rd.
FARMER, JAFFE, WEISSING, EDWARDS, South Salem, NY 10590
FISTOS & LEHRMAN, P.L. [email protected]
425 North Andrews Ave., Ste. 2
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
[email protected]
/s/ Nicole Simmons
Nicole Simmons
25
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
--------------------------------------------------X
......
.........................................
VIRGINIA L. GIUFFRE,
Plaintiff,
v.
15-cv-07433-RWS
GHISLAINE MAXWELL,
Defendant.
--------------------------------------------------X
Response in Opposition to Plaintiffâs Motion to Enforce the Courtâs Order and
Direct Defendant to Answer Deposition Questions Filed Under Seal
Laura A. Menninger
Jeffrey S. Pagliuca
HADDON, MORGAN, AND FOREMAN, P.C.
East 10th Avenue
Denver, CO 80203
303.831.7364
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1
FACTUAL BACKGROUND ................................................................................................. 2
I. PLAINTIFFâS FAILURE TO IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS CLAIMED
UNANSWERED REQUIRES DENIAL OF THE MOTION ............................................. 8
II. THE REQUESTED TOPIC AREAS ARE CUMULATIVE, DUPLICATIVE AND NO
GOOD CAUSE EXISTS FOR PERMITTING ADDITIONAL DEPOSITION TIME ...... 10
III. COUNSEL INSTRUCTED MAXWELL NOT TO ANSWER TO ENFORCE THE
COURTâS ORDER AND TO PREVENT HARASSMENT BY PLAINTIFFâS COUNSEL
.................................................................................................................................... 13
A. Objected to Question Number 1: ....................................................................................... 13
B. Objected to Questions Number 2 and 3. ............................................................................ 14
C. âObjectedâ to Question Number 4. .................................................................................... 15
D. âObjectedâ to Question Number 5 ..................................................................................... 15
E. âObjectedâ to Question Number 6 ..................................................................................... 15
F. Objected to Question Number 7 ........................................................................................ 16
G. Objection to Question Number 8 ....................................................................................... 17
H. Objections to Questions 9, 10, and 11. .............................................................................. 17
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE .............................................................................................. 25
i
Defendant Ghislaine Maxwell, by and through her counsel, hereby submits the following
Response in Opposition (âResponseâ) to Plaintiffâs Motion to Enforce the Courtâs Order and
Direct Defendant to Answer Deposition Questions Filed Under Seal (âMotionâ), as follows:
INTRODUCTION
This lawsuit presents one relatively simple question: is Plaintiffâs claim that she was
sexually abused, sexually trafficked and held as a âsex slaveâ by Jeffrey Epstein between 1999
and 2002 âwith the assistance and participation ofâ Ms. Maxwell substantially true? Plaintiff
already has admitted, under oath, that substantial portions of her story are untrue; she has so far
refused to say under oath what other lies printed by the press about her story are untrue, but has
admitted that journalist Sharon Churcher âgot it wrong.â For example, Plaintiff has admitted that
she did not meet Ms. Maxwell or Mr. Epstein in 1999 (or in 1998) at the age of 14 or 15, as she
previously has sworn and as she told members of the press. Declaration of Jeffrey S. Pagliuca
âPagliuca Decl.â), Composite Ex. A (Testimony of Plaintiff Virginia Giuffre on May 3, 2016), at
26-27, 220-226. Plaintiff admitted that she did not spend her sweet 16th birthday with Mr.
Epstein and Ms. Maxwell as she included in her book manuscript, her Jane Doe #102 Complaint
and in the story she sold to the Daily Mail. Id. at 102. Plaintiffâs counsel has admitted that it
was a mistake to sue Alan Dershowitz for defamation, after he provided them documentation
establishing he never was in their clientâs presence, nor did he have sex with her. Pagliuca Decl.,
Ex. B. And Plaintiffâs story about attending a dinner party with on Little St. James
was debunked by none other than . Id.
Yet, undeterred, Plaintiff and her counsel continue to use this lawsuit to seek discovery of
matters far afield of the one simple question posed in the defamation claim, to explore events
that occurred well past 2002, when Plaintiff lived in Australia and had no contact with Ms.
Maxwell or Mr. Epstein. The current witch-hunt has now expanded into the private personal life
1
of defendant Ghislaine Maxwell. The harassing, extended, repetitive, cumulative and redundant
continued deposition of Ms. Maxwell should be concluded.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
On April 22, 2016 Plaintiff deposed Ms. Maxwell for a full seven hours. The transcript
of that deposition is 418 pages long. Ms. Maxwell did not assert any privilege against self-
incrimination and was questioned extensively about, among other things: her relationship with
Jeffrey Epstein, her knowledge of âsexual trafficking,â sex with minors, non-consensual sex, sex
involving the Plaintiff and others, sex involving Plaintiff and Mr. Epstein, sex involving the
Plaintiff and Ms. Maxwell, sex involving the Plaintiff, Ms. Maxwell and Mr. Epstein. She was
asked questions about whether she recruited girls for Ms. Epstein to have sex with, her
knowledge of Ms. Epsteinâs sex with a number of people. She was asked questions about âsex
toys,â pornographic images, child pornography, and nudity at Mr. Epsteinâs house. Ms. Maxwell
answered these questions, and many others, to the best of her ability. See Pagliuca Decl.,
Composite Exhibit C (Transcript of (First) Deposition of Ghislaine Maxwell on April 22, 2016).
During her first deposition, Ms. Maxwell was freely questioned and testified about the
following:
ďˇ She never had a sexual encounter with Plaintiff, ever. Id. at 76:3-11.
ďˇ She never saw Plaintiff massage Mr. Epstein. Id. at 75:12-24.
ďˇ She never saw Jeffrey Epstein and Plaintiff in a sexual situation. Id. at 75:23- 76:l.
ďˇ She did not have a set of outfits for Plaintiff to wear. Id. at 69:1-24, and again at 117:4-
15.
ďˇ She had no knowledge of any non-consensual sex acts involving Mr. Epstein. Id. at 55:5-
15.
ďˇ She never had non-consensual sex with anyone. Id. at 62:19-20 & 63:23-25.
2
ďˇ She did not train Plaintiff to ârecruitâ other girls for massages or sexual massages. Id. at
81:21- 82:7.
ďˇ She never arranged for or asked Plaintiff to have sex with anyone. Id. at 58:6-11.
ďˇ She never gave a massage with Plaintiff in the room with Mr. Epstein. Id. at 19:16-21.
ďˇ She never gave a massage to Mr. Epstein with a female that was under the age of 18 in
the room. Id. at 22:11-14.
ďˇ She never observed Mr. Epstein having a massage given by an individual, a female, who
was under the age of 18. Id. at 22:15-18.
ďˇ She never had sex with . Id. at 38:19-23.
ďˇ She never observed Jeffrey Epstein having sex with Id. at 38:24- 39:2.
ďˇ She was unaware if Jeffrey Epstein was having sexual contact with when
she was 13 years old. Id. at 39:3-5.
ďˇ She was never involved in an orgy with . Id. at 40:16-18.
ďˇ She had no knowledge of whether was involved with sex with Jeffrey
Epstein and girls over the age of 18. Id. at 46:13-16.
ďˇ She had no knowledge of whether recruited other girls for sex with Jeffrey
Epstein. Id. at 46:17-21.
ďˇ She did not know the precise nature of Jeffrey Epsteinâs relationship with . Id.
at 48:5-6.
ďˇ She was unaware of any sexual acts with masseuses and Jeffrey Epstein that were non-
consensual. Id. at 55:5-15.
ďˇ She discussed her knowledge of . Id. at 55:17- 56:20.
ďˇ She had no knowledge of telling the police that Jeffrey Epstein sexually
assaulted her. Id. at 56:16-20.
ďˇ She had no knowledge of having sex with Jeffrey Epstein. Id. at 65:10-15.
ďˇ She never had sex with Jeffrey Epstein, Plaintiff, and . Id. at 65:8-10.
ďˇ She had no knowledge of bringing females to the house to massage Jeffrey
Epstein. Id. at 67:5-13.
ďˇ She had no knowledge about a basket of sex toys. Id. at 70:25- 75:4 and again at 242:3-
243:13.
3
ďˇ She was unaware of Jeffrey Epstein ever having his nipples pinched while having sex
with a minor. Id. at 82:23-83:4.
ďˇ She never met anyone underage in London to provide a massage for Jeffrey Epstein. Id.
at 97:25-98:5.
ďˇ She had no knowledge about bringing girls to Jeffrey Epstein for the
purpose of providing massages. Id. at 99:2-21.
ďˇ She never participated in obtaining visas for foreign girls. Id. at 100:9.
ďˇ She did not believe it was Jeffrey Epsteinâs preference to start sex with a massage. Id. at
100:10-20.
ďˇ She never trained a female under the age of 18 at Jeffrey Epsteinâs home. Id. at 157:5-10.
ďˇ She has no knowledge whether ever asked females to come over to see
Jeffrey Epstein for the purpose of sexual massage. Id. at 268:21-24.
ďˇ She had no knowledge of any sexual relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and
Id. at 305:5-23.
ďˇ She was aware of and understood that she was Jeffrey Epsteinâs girlfriend
and spent a lot of time with him in 1999-2000. Id. at 364:5-365:11.
Because Ms. Maxwell had not, by virtue of becoming a defendant in this case, injected
her entire personal sexual history into this litigation counsel for Ms. Maxwell, during the first 7
hour deposition, instructed Ms. Maxwell to not answer questions related to consensual sexual
activity with adults. No objection was raised, and no instruction to not answer lodged, to
questions regarding Ms. Maxwellâs knowledge of sexual activity (consensual or non-consensual)
by Mr. Epstein or others with children, Plaintiff, or other persons. No objections were made, or
instructions to not answer, to questions about whether Ms. Maxwell assisted Mr. Epstein in the
alleged sexual trafficking of the Plaintiff from 1999 to 2002. Ms. Maxwell answered questions
about sexual trafficking, prostitution, her job with Mr. Epstein, and police reports related to Mr.
Epstein. Ms. Maxwell was questioned, without any instruction not to answer, about message
pads, phone lists, the hiring practices related to massages, hiring practices in general, whether
Jeffrey Epstein had a scheme to recruit underage girls for sexual massages and whether Jeffrey
4
Epsteinâs assistants would arrange times for underage girls to perform sexual massages.
Pagliuca Decl., Ex. C at 253-55. She was extensively questioned about various message pads
recovered from Jeffrey Epsteinâs home by the Palm Beach Police Department. Id. at 147:23-
167:23. She was extensively questioned regarding her knowledge about . Id. at
307:6-312:12. She was extensively questioned about a list containing names and phone numbers
under the heading âMassage Florida.â Id. at 313:18 â 334:8. Simply stated, with the exception of
her adult consensual sex life, Plaintiff was free to question Ms. Maxwell, and in fact questioned
Ms. Maxwell on any topic. Importantly, Plaintiffâs original motion recognized this fact, seeking
only to response Plaintiff on one subject: âDefendant should be ordered to sit for a follow-up
deposition and directed to answer questions regarding her knowledge of alleged âadultâ sexual
activity.â Plaintiffâs Motion to Compel Deposition Questions, WHEREFORE Clause, at 10
(Doc. # 143).
5
Presumably the Court did not authorize repetitive questioning about
topics that had been asked and answered in the prior deposition.
. The instruction not to not to answer questions
about sexual activity and massages was limited to any activity involving consensual adults. See
Plaintiffâs Motion to Compel Deposition Questions at 10 (Doc. #143).
Given that the majority of the questions had already been posed and answered over a full
seven-hour time period one might reasonably assume that Ms. Maxwellâs second deposition
would be short and direct. Unfortunately, Plaintiffâs counsel chose to ignore the Courtâs Order,
repeatedly sought to reopen previously completed deposition topics and tried to ask questions
about new topics completely unrelated to the limited purpose authorized. Pagliuca Decl., Ex. D
(Transcript of (Second) Deposition of Ghislaine Maxwell on July 22, 2016). The entire
deposition was far beyond the specific request made by Plaintiff in her Motion that Ms. Maxwell
6
be required to answer questions about adult consensual sexual activity â the only questions on
which instructions were given in the first deposition. Yet, broad latitude was given by counsel in
the deposition, permitting pages of duplicative, redundant examination on countless topics which
had already been asked and fully answer in the first disposition. By way of example:
First Deposition Second Deposition
Duplicative Topic of Questioning
(Exhibit C) (Exhibit D)
Circumstances surrounding her first meeting of 14:9-19:18
Plaintiff and if she held herself out as a 35:11-36:20 65:4-70:5
professional masseur 213:5-220:3
12:22-14:8;
If she saw women under the age of 18 (first
22:15-24:9;
deposition) or 21 (second deposition) at 71:20-73:18
99:2-100:4;
Epsteinâs houses
122:19-122:14
Her knowledge of , her job, how she 59:7-63:16;
was hired, and if Ms. Maxwell ever received 286:23-293:13; 74:2-78:191
massages from 307:6-312:12
Knowledge of or meetings with 55:20-56:20; 95:14-98:10;
62:21-25 103:19-113:22
Her knowledge of and 120:22-122:5;
40:19-47:14
interactions with Mr. Epstein 126:22-129:12
1
Consistent with Ms. Maxwellâs testimony,
.
7
First Deposition Second Deposition
Duplicative Topic of Questioning
(Exhibit C) (Exhibit D)
47:15-49:18;
Her knowledge of , when she last 56:21-57:11;
spoke to , what job was, 254:25-256:8; 117:14-118:9;
and her knowledge of sexual relations between 328:21-329:6; 125:2-126:21
llen and Mr. Epstein 396:4-21;
411:14-412:22
329:7-330:12;
Her interactions with 129:15-132:6
331:9-335:10
379:22-380:18;
Her knowledge concerning 99:14-21; 150:6-17
sexual activities or interaction with Mr. Epstein 116:19-117:3;
166:21-167:23
Her knowledge of the identities of a list name 312:15-334:8 179:16 -184:15
titled âMassage â Floridaâ from an address book
marked in the first deposition and discussed at
length
THE QUESTIONS
I. PLAINTIFFâS FAILURE TO IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
CLAIMED UNANSWERED REQUIRES DENIAL OF THE MOTION
Plaintiff broadly, and inaccurately, claims now that at her second deposition, Ms.
Maxwell ârefused to answer many questionsâ related to sexual activity or ârefused to answer
questions about subject integral to this lawsuit.â Motion at 3-4. This assertion is patently
dispelled by a review of the second deposition transcript which is 193 pages long. Pagliuca
Decl., Ex. D. The deposition began at 9:04 a.m. and concluded at 2:51 p.m. The total time Ms.
Maxwell testified in this deposition was 4 hours and 52 minutes for a total combined deposition
8
time of 11 hours and 52 minutes. A total of 787 questions were posed to Ms. Maxwell in the
second deposition. Ms. Maxwell answered every question posed to her that fell within the scope
of the June 20 Order, many that were outside the scope, and countless questions that had been
asked and answered in her first deposition.
It is difficult to discern precisely what questions Plaintiff is complaining about in her
Motion because of her generalized and non-specific complaints. Plaintiff fails to cite to a single
instruction not to answer that 1) falls within the scope to the Courtâs Order and 2) that was not
answered when properly rephrased to fall within the scope of the Order. S.D.N.Y. Local Rules
require that:
A party seeking or opposing relief under Fed. R. Civ. P. 26 through 37
inclusive, or making or opposing any other motion or application, shall
quote or attach only those portions of the depositions, interrogatories,
requests for documents, requests for admissions, or other discovery or
disclosure materials, together with the responses and objections
thereto, that are the subject of the discovery motion or application, or
that are cited in papers submitted in connection with any other motion or
application. See also Civil Local Rule 37.1.
The failure to comply with Rule 37.1 and set forth the particular questions or responses
Plaintiff claims are deficient is âenough to require denial of the motion.â Sibley v. Choice Hotels
Int'l, No. CV 14-634 (JS) (AYS), 2015 WL 9413101, at *5 (E.D.N.Y. Dec. 22, 2015) (denying
motion to compel where party failed to identify the specific questions and responses to
interrogatories claimed deficient); see also Kilkenny v. Greenberg Traurig, LLP, No. 05 CIV.
6578NRB, 2008 WL 371808, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 7, 2008) (denying motion to compel where
specific questions and objection were not provided, noting rule 37.1 is âThis is not an academic
or ritual requirement. . . . Court cannot be tasked with performing the functions of Kilkenny's
legal counsel [by identifying claimed deficiencies] and thereby seen as advocating for one party
over another.â; Frattalone v. Markowitz, No. 91 CIV. 5854 (LMM), 1994 WL 494878, at *3
9
(S.D.N.Y. Sept. 9, 1994) (permitting reopening of deposition only if party could specifically
identify areas of inquiry previously foreclosed). To the extent Plaintiff has not identified specific
questions that Ms. Maxwell was instructed not to answer she has waived any issue related to the
questioning.
II. THE REQUESTED TOPIC AREAS ARE CUMULATIVE, DUPLICATIVE
AND NO GOOD CAUSE EXISTS FOR PERMITTING ADDITIONAL
DEPOSITION TIME
Plaintiffâs proffered âtopic areasâ that she would like to re-open the deposition to cover â
again â makes clear that what she is asking for is additional time â in excess of the almost 12
hours she has already had â to ask questions that have already been answered. This is
impermissible under Rule 30(d)(1) which prohibits depositions in excess of 7 hours seeking the
type of duplicative and cumulative testimony Plaintiff seeks.
The only testimony cited in the Motion are instances in which Ms. Maxwell had already
fully testified on the topic area. First, she cites questions concerning , a witness
who has been deposed in this case. What Plaintiff ignores is that Ms. Maxwell had already been
fully examined concerning her knowledge about and answered every question, with
the exception of a single questions regarding adult consensual sexual activity which was
answered in the second deposition. See Pagliuca Decl., Ex. C at 59:7-63:16; 286:23-293:13;
307:6-312:12 & Ex. D at 77:24 â 78:6 (âQ. Did Mr. Epstein, insofar as you believe, engage in
sexual activities with ? A. I would not know. I would say no. Q. Did you engage in
sexual activities with ? A. No.â). Despite this, leeway was given, and 5 pages of
repeated testimony concerning commenced and was permitted until the duplicative
nature of the testimony was simply too much. See Pagliuca Decl., Ex. D at 74:2-78:19.
10
Second, Plaintiff inaccurately complains that Ms. Maxwell refused to answer questions
concerning sexual activity involving two women named . Motion at 6.
Not so. Ms. Maxwell answered questions for fully 13 pages of her deposition concerning
. See Pagliuca Decl., Ex. D at 95-98 and 103-113. Ms. Maxwell answered well over 76
questions relating to including who they are, when she met them,
whether she ever saw them at Epsteinâs homes or her own home, whether Epstein ever had sex
with them, whether they worked for Epstein, whether they flew on planes together, gave or
received massages, participated in any sexual activities with one another, where they lived, the
description of their living environments, and whether journalist Vicky Ward ever told Ms.
Maxwell that Epstein had engaged in sexual activities. Id. This was on top of the questions that
Ms. Maxwell had already answered at her first deposition that were nearly identical: who are
, how did you meet them, whether they ever made any allegations of sexual abuse by
Epstein, or whether Ms. Maxwell had ever had non-consensual sexual contact with
Pagliuca Decl., Ex. C at 95:14 -98:10 & 103:19-113:22. In fact, at the first deposition,
Ms. Maxwell did not refuse to answer a single question regarding . Thus, all of the
questions at the second deposition were redundant, cumulative and outside of the Courtâs Order.
The only question that Ms. Maxwell refused to answer was: âWhat did Vicky Ward tell you
about when she talked to you?,â after which she answered another 10 pages of
questions that centered around whether Vicky Ward had said specific things regarding
Pagliuca Decl., Ex. D at 103-113. Ms. Maxwell has already flatly denied she had any
knowledge of the allegations posited by reporter Vicky Ward.
Plaintiff is not permitted to re-depose Ms. Maxwell on issues already covered, or which
she had the opportunity to cover, in the first 7-hour deposition, particularly in light of the
11
additional 4.5 hours permitted in the second deposition and the fact that she answered in the
second deposition the only pertinent questions permitted by the Court Order. See Fed. R. Civ. P.
30(d)(1) (âthe court must allow additional time consistent with Rule 26(b)(1) and (2) if needed
to fairly examine the deponentâ) (emphasis added). Rule 30(d)(1) requires a court to guard
against redundant or disproportionate discovery, stating that any additional deposition time must
be consistent with Rule 26(b)(1) and (2), prohibiting, among other things, cumulative and
duplicative testimony. The duplicative nature of the âtopicsâ requested by Plaintiff is
demonstrated by the previously cited testimony. It is compounded by the fact that
has fully testified concerning how she came to work for Epstein, what she did while working for
him, and how she was paid. See This Response at 20-21, infra. The redundancy of the requested
testimony (much of which is outside the scope of the Order) prohibits a finding of good cause for
reopening â yet again â Ms. Maxwellâs testimony. See Kleppinger v. Texas Dep't of Transp.,
283 F.R.D. 330, 333 (S.D. Tex. 2012) (âa party seeking a court order to extend the duration of
the examination must show âgood causeâ to justify such an orderâ including showing information
is not duplicative and cumulative).
Of course, Ms. Maxwell and her counsel had no desire to subject Ms. Maxwell to a third
deposition, thus permitting many questions that far exceeded the scope of the Order. When
called on to explain how extraneous questions were proper, Plaintiffâs counsel refused to proffer
why certain questions were within the Courtâs order leaving Ms. Maxwellâs counsel no option,
on a few occasions, to instruct Ms. Maxwell to not answer. Plaintiffâs counselâs refusal to
simply explain how objectionable questions were within the scope of the permitted deposition
makes clear that they were not, and should act as a waiver. See, e.g., Pagliuca Decl., Ex. D at
99-101.
12
III. COUNSEL INSTRUCTED MAXWELL NOT TO ANSWER TO ENFORCE
THE COURTâS ORDER AND TO PREVENT HARASSMENT BY
PLAINTIFFâS COUNSEL
The only questions to which counsel for Ms. Maxwell instructed her not to answer were
those that she had already answered or were outside the Courtâs Order permitting a re-opening of
the deposition. Fed. R. Civ. P. 30(c)(2) (instruction not to answer appropriate âwhen necessary
to ⌠enforce a limitation ordered by the courtâ). Plaintiff loosely points to eleven questions in
her Motion. She omits parts in which the question had already been answered, and she implies
an instruction not to answer where none was given. None of the cited questions merits the re-
opening of Ms. Maxwellâs deposition for a third bite at the apple.
A. Objected to Question Number 1:
âSo how did it happen, Ms. Maxwell, that who had been hired to answer phones,
ended up giving massages to you and Mr. Epstein.â
In Ms. Maxwellâs first, 7 hour, deposition she was questioned extensively about her
relationship with . See Pagliuca Decl. Ex. C at 59-63; 112-113; & 307-309.
Consistent with the Defendantâs position at that time, Plaintiff was free to ask, and asked,
questions about with the exception of consensual adult sexual contact. The only
instruction to not answer was limited to consensual adult sexual contact, of which there was
none. (Although in fact, Ms. Maxwell testified in her first deposition that the massages with
did not involve sex.). See Pagliuca Decl. Ex. C at 61:14-15..
In Ms. Maxwellâs second, 4.5 hour deposition, she was again questioned extensively
about . The questioning begins on page 74 of the transcript. Plaintiffâs counsel
asked dozens of questions about without any instruction to not answer. When the
questions became repetitive to the questions asked at the first deposition and strayed outside the
13
Courtâs Order counsel for Ms. Maxwell sought guidance form the Court, which was not
available.
Notwithstanding that the examination was repetitive, Ms. Maxwell responded to
questions, without instruction not to answer, that were within the Courtâs Order. She testified
that she did not have any sexual relationship or contact with and was unaware of
any sexual contact between Mr. Epstein and . See Pagliuca Decl. Ex. D at 77:24-
78:6. She also testified about and massages, both in her first deposition and the
second. See Pagliuca Decl. Ex. C at 59-63; 112-113; & 307-309 and Ex. D at 74-82:8.
When the question about for was asked for the fourth
time, the instruction not to answer was given. These questions had been asked in the first
deposition, could have been asked in greater detail in the first deposition, and were answered in
both depositions prior to the instruction not to answer being given:
and sometime after that went to massage school and began giving massages. Ms.
Maxwell was not sure how the transition occurred but believed âthat she went to massage school
and became a professional masseuse.â Id., at 75:10-11.
B. Objected to Questions Number 2 and 3.
âDid Mr. Epstein pay for the massages that she gave Mr. Epstein?â
âDo you know how much Mr. Epstein paid to give massages?â
Plaintiff has selectively and misleadingly provided only a portion of the transcript related
to this issue and ignores the fact that Plaintiff, in the first deposition, asked questions on the same
topic. Moreover, Ms. Maxwell previously testified that she did not pay and did not
know who paid her. See Pagliuca Decl. Ex. C at 59-63; 112-113; & 307-309 and Ex. D at 82:2-
7.
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C. âObjectedâ to Question Number 4.
âDo you know if was ever at ?â
This question is completely outside the Courtâs June 20, 2016 Order as it does not relate
to Ms. Maxwell, Mr. Epstein, massages, sex, or any property identified in this case. Regardless,
the witness was never instructed to not answer the question and did not refuse to answer
questions about . After the question was posed, counsel for Ms. Maxwell simply
asked for an explanation as to how the question was within the Courtâs Order. The witness was
not instructed not to answer. It appears that after considering the request for a proffer as to how
the question was within the Courtâs Order, the question was withdrawn and a different question
was posed: âMr. Boies: Let me approach it this way.â ⌠Did Ms. Ward tell you that?â The
questioning about continues many pages thereafter. See Pagliuca Decl., Ex. D at 99-
113.
D. âObjectedâ to Question Number 5
Without any record support Plaintiff claims that âDefendantâs counsel also stopped a line
of questioning in which defendant was asked if she recalled several girls brought
over to give a âmassageâ to Epstein.â Plaintiff cites no specific instruction not to answer because
one was never given. Ms. Maxwell answered questions about and was questioned
extensively regarding lists of names, about which Ms. Maxwell had no knowledge. Plaintiff was
not forced to âcease questioningâ about any person. The questioning occurred and Ms. Maxwell
responded.
E. âObjectedâ to Question Number 6
âWas there a list that was kept of women or girls who provided massages?â
The âlistâ was introduced as Exhibit 13 to Ms. Maxwellâs first deposition. Ms. Maxwell
was questioned extensively about the âlistâ and testified, without objection about the list. In her
15
second deposition, the same Exhibit 13 was introduced and Ms. Maxwell was asked, without
objection, questions relating to specific names on Exhibit 13. See Pagliuca Decl., Ex. C at 312-
334 and Ex. D at 179- 89.
Exhibit 13 was a document prepared by someone other than Ms. Maxwell, was not
maintained by Ms. Maxwell and over which Ms. Maxwell had no control. Given the extensive
testimony on the subject in both depositions, it was appropriate to instruct the witness to not
answer the question. This debate, however is unnecessary because the question was asked again
in a slightly different form and answered: Q: âDid you, or insofar as you are aware anyone,
maintain a list of females that provided massage services to Mr. Epstein at his residences?â A: âI
donât know anything about a list.â Id., Ex. D at 185:13-20. No follow up questions were asked
after this answer.
F. Objected to Question Number 7
âIn 2005, were you aware of any effort to destroy records of messages you had taken of
women who had called Mr. Epstein in the prior period?â
Ms. Maxwell was previously deposed about documents purportedly seized when Mr.
Epsteinâs house was searched by the Palm Beach Police Department. See Pagliuca Decl., Ex. C
at 312-19.
The Courtâs June 20, Order did not reopen the deposition to allow for baseless questions
about the destruction of evidence in 2005. Alleged destruction of records has nothing to do with
any of the 8 areas that the Court addressed. Accordingly, the objection is well founded.
Plaintiffâs tortured explanation about how the question fits into the Courtâs Order is nonsense.
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G. Objection to Question Number 8
âIn terms of preparing for this deposition, what documents did you review?â
Ms. Maxwell was instructed to not answer the question as it related to privileged
communications between Ms. Maxwell and counsel. Ms. Maxwell was asked if any of the
documents refreshed her recollection about any of the events that occurred. Her response was:
âNo.â A follow up question was asked as to whether counsel provided Ms. Maxwell with any
documents and the answer was âOne, I believe.â
The communication between Ms. Maxwell and counsel was privileged, did not refresh
her recollection, and the question was properly objected to.
H. Objections to Questions 9, 10, and 11.
17
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(1) provides, in relevant part, that "[p]arties may
obtain discovery regarding any matter, not privileged, that is relevant to the claim or defense of
any party âŚ.â Although the scope of discovery is deliberately broad, a Court is not "required to
permit plaintiff to engage in a `fishing expedition' in the hope of supporting his claim." McGee v.
Hayes, 43 Fed.Appx. 214, 217 (10th Cir. 2002) (unpublished opinion); see also Tottenham v.
Trans World Gaming Corp., 2002 WL 1967023, at *2 (S.D.N.Y.2002) ("Discovery, however, is
not intended to be a fishing expedition, but rather is meant to allow the parties to flesh out
allegations for which they initially have at least a modicum of objective support") (quotations
omitted); Hardrick v. Legal Services Corp., 96 F.R.D. 617, 618 (D.D.C.1983) (courts should,
remain concerned about "fishing expeditions, discovery abuse and inordinate expense involved
in overbroad and far-ranging discovery requests.") (quotation omitted). "[B]road discovery is
not without limits and the trial court is given wide discretion in balancing the needs and rights of
both plaintiff and defendant." Gomez v. Martin Marietta Corp., 50 F.3d 1511, 1520 (10th
Cir.1995) (quotation omitted).
Although relevance in discovery is broader than that required for admissibility at trial,
"the object of inquiry must have some evidentiary value before an order to compel disclosure of
otherwise inadmissible material will issue." Zenith Electronics Corp. v. Exzec, Inc., No. 93 C
041, 1998 WL 9181, at *2 (N.D.I11.1998) (quoting Piacenti v. Gen. Motors Corp., 173 F.R.D.
221, 223 (N.D.I11.1997)). Courts have also recognized that "[t]he legal tenet that relevancy in
18
the discovery context is broader than in the context of admissibility should not be misapplied so
as to allow fishing expeditions in discovery." Id. (quotation omitted).
Under Rule 26(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure any party may move the court,
for good cause shown, for a protective order regarding pretrial discovery âwhich justice requires
to protect a party or person from annoyance, embarrassment, oppression or undue burden or
expense.â Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(c). âAlthough the Rule contains no specific reference to privacy or
to other rights or interests that may be implicated, such matters are implicit in the broad purpose
and language of the Rule.â Seattle Times Company v. Rhinehart, 467 U.S. 20, 35 (1984).
I. THE PURPORTED âFACTUAL BACKGROUNDâ CITED BY PLAINTIFF
IS NOT RELEVANT TO THE ISSUES IN THE CASE OR THIS MOTION
As Carl Sandburg famously said, âIf the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is
against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like
hell.â In this case, rather than pound the table, Plaintiff tries to distract from the issues at hand â
whether Ms. Maxwell fully answered all questions posed â by pointing to selective misleading
quotes from various other witnesses who have been deposed in this case. When viewed in their
entirety, those witnesses neither support Plaintiffâs single claim for defamation nor her claim for
19
relief in this Motion. In direct contradiction to Plaintiffâs fabricated story, the witnesses actually
testified as follows:
20
Joe Recarey, the lead investigator of Jeffrey Epstein from the Palm Beach County Police
Department, testified at his deposition, that (in contrast to Plaintiffâs claims):
ďˇ He and other investigators interviewed approximately 30-33 females in connection with
the case and identified approximately 17 victims. Pagliuca Decl., Ex. F at 179, 334.
ďˇ Ms. Maxwell was never a suspect in their investigation, was not a target of the grand jury
investigation, nothing of Ms. Maxwellâs was seized from the home during execution of
the search warrant, and Ms. Maxwell was never observed at the Epstein home during the
police surveillance. Id. at 177, 211-12,214-16, 257.
ďˇ None of the victims identified Ms. Maxwell as having ârecruitedâ them to come give
massages to Epstein. Id. at 180-82, 191-93, 195.
ďˇ None identified Ms. Maxwell as even being at the house when they were there, or paying
them, or instructing them on what to wear or how to act, or ever of having spoken to
them. Id.
ďˇ None were ever sexually trafficked to other men; Jeffrey Epstein was the only person
with whom they had any sexual contact. Id. at 300-301.
ďˇ None were ever asked to spend the night with Epstein, or travel with them. Id.
ďˇ He did not observe any child pornography or any photos of naked women in the home
when he went to help install cameras to catch a thief in Mr. Epsteinâs home in 2002 (who
turned out to be butler Juan Alessi). Id. at 288-90.
Juan Alessi. He served as the butler for approximately 10 year period at Mr. Epsteinâs
home in Palm Beach. He testified that:
21
ďˇ The majority of masseuses that came to the house were over the age of 20. Pagliuca
Decl., Ex. G at 200.
ďˇ Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell found the massage therapists from the high-end spas
nearby, including the Breakers, Boca Raton and Mar-a-Lago, as Mr. Alessi confirmed
when he called them at their jobs to arrange home visits. Id. at 187-88.
ďˇ The massage therapists were paid by check. Id. at 166.
ďˇ Plaintiff was working at one of these spas when she was hired, wearing an old-
fashioned nurseâs type uniform. Id. at 174.
ďˇ Contrary to Plaintiffâs main story, she did not go upstairs with Mr. Epstein the first
time she came over and he did not drive her home. Id. at 192.
22
CONCLUSION
Because Ms. Maxwell fully answered all questions within the Courtâs Order (and many
that were not) at her continued deposition, she respectfully requests the Court deny Plaintiffâs
23
Motion to Enforce the Courtâs Order and Direct Defendant to Answer Deposition Questions
Filed Under Seal. Further, because Plaintiff brought this Motion without a valid basis to assert
that she refused to answer any question that was (a) within this Courtâs Order and (b) not already
responded to either at her first deposition or during this deposition, Ms. Maxwell requests that
the fees and costs associated with defending this Motion be imposed on Plaintiff, her counsel or
both.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/ Jeffrey S. Pagliuca
Laura A. Menninger (LM-1374)
Jeffrey S. Pagliuca (pro hac vice)
HADDON, MORGAN AND FOREMAN, P.C.
150 East 10th Avenue
Denver, CO 80203
Phone: 303.831.7364
Fax: 303.832.2628
[email protected]
Attorneys for Ghislaine Maxwell
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I certify that on August 8, 2016, I electronically served Response in Opposition to Plaintiffâs
Motion to Enforce the Courtâs Order and Direct Defendant to Answer Deposition Questions
Filed Under Seal via ECF on the following:
Sigrid S. McCawley Paul G. Cassell
Meredith Schultz 383 S. University Street
BOIES, SCHILLER & FLEXNER, LLP Salt Lake City, UT 84112
401 East Las Olas Boulevard, Ste. 1200 [email protected]
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
[email protected]
[email protected]
J. Stanley Pottinger
Bradley J. Edwards 49 Twin Lakes Rd.
FARMER, JAFFE, WEISSING, EDWARDS, South Salem, NY 10590
FISTOS & LEHRMAN, P.L. [email protected]
425 North Andrews Ave., Ste. 2
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
[email protected]
/s/ Nicole Simmons
Nicole Simmons
25