The family of disgraced British socialite and convicted sex-trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is being sued over unpaid legal fees.
Maxwell was convicted and jailed for 20 years for helping American financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. Epstein died in his jail cell awaiting trial in 2019.
Law firm Haddon, Morgan and Foreman (HMF) had represented the 60-year-old since 2015 when Virginia Giuffre raised her civil case.
Since Maxwell’s arrest in 2020, HMF said she handed over financial obligations to her brother, Kevin Maxwell, while she was in custody.
But he failed to meet payment deadlines and ignored the firm’s emails, it claimed in a lawsuit filed on August 22.
“HMF developed concerns regarding the representation, including ...Ms Maxwell’s willingness and ability to meet her financial obligations,” it said.
The lawsuit claimed Mr Maxwell paid only $100,000 of a $250,000 retainer requested by the law firm to represent Maxwell at trial.
By November 2020,Maxwell’s retainer had been exhausted.
By January the following year, Maxwell owed HMF $141,160.
“HMF emailed Mr Maxwell asking for updates regarding the funds owed to HMF. Mr Maxwell ignored the emails,” the lawsuit said.
”An HMF shareholder again asked for an update, expressing the importance of ‘resolv[ing] the issue as soon as possible because it is neither fair nor practical for the firm to carry these amounts due’.”
“Mr Maxwell responded the same day, claiming that ‘this will be sorted out tomorrow’.
“At the time he made the statement, Mr Maxwell had no intention of paying HMF in full ‘tomorrow’ or ever.”
To keep HMF from withdrawing, Mr Maxwell made a handful of sporadic payments throughout legal proceedings.
But as of June 27, 2022, Maxwell had an unpaid balance of $878,302.66.
More than $850,000 of that amount has been due since January 31, the firm claimed.
During Maxwell’s trial in Manhatten, a US judge said “Ms Maxwell worked with Epstein to select young victims who were vulnerable and played a pivotal role in facilitating sexual abuse.”
Her accusers had earlier came face to face with her, reading victim impact statements to the court - describing her as a “manipulative, cruel and merciless person.”
Maxwell, who was described as “dangerous” by the prosecution during her three-week trial last year, helped entice vulnerable teenagers to Epstein’s various properties for him to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004.
