In the suit, Ms. Giuffre contends that Ms. Maxwell has defamed her by calling those accusations “untrue” and “obvious lies.”
Ms. Maxwell, in turn, argues that she had the right to publicly defend herself against Ms. Giuffre’s accusations.
A decade ago, Mr. Acosta, the United States attorney in Miami at the time, played a role in what critics said was a lenient
plea deal given to a wealthy New Yorker, Jeffrey E. Epstein, who was accused of paying underage girls for sexual massages.
Ms. Giuffre has accused Ms. Maxwell of helping to procure underage girls to engage in sexual activities with Mr. Epstein.
Labor Nominee’s Role in Sex Case Could Draw Scrutiny -
For R. Alexander Acosta, President Trump’s new pick for labor secretary, renewed attention on a salacious lawsuit may not come at a great time.
The setting will be a federal courtroom in Manhattan, where a trial is expected to start in the spring in a defamation lawsuit
brought against one of Mr. Epstein’s associates, Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of the British publishing mogul Robert Maxwell.