Judge takes rare step of serving Jeffrey Epstein’s elusive ‘pimp’ Ghislaine Maxwell with a sex assault lawsuit by email because she is in hiding
- Ex-girlfriend and alleged ‘madam’ of Epstein served with lawsuit
- The location of Maxwell has been a mystery since her former lover died
- Judge Debra Freeman took the unusual step in federal Manhattan court
- Lawyers for Annie Farmer were unable to track the former socialite down
- She has accused Maxwell of trafficking her from Arizona to Epstein’s New Mexico ranch in 1996, where she claims Maxwell sexually assaulted her
Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of the convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein who has been in hiding since his arrest and death, has been served with a new lawsuit by email in an unusual move because accusers have been unable to track her down.
The location of Maxwell, who been portrayed by Epstein’s victims as a ‘madam’ and a ‘fixer’ and is the focus of an FBI investigation, has been a mystery since her former lover died.
Judge Debra Freeman took the rare step in a federal Manhattan court of allowing Annie Farmer to email the complaint, which was filed in November, the New York Post reported.
Ghislaine Maxwell’s location has been a mystery since her former lover Jeffrey Epstein was arrested for sex trafficking and then died in prison in 2019
Farmer, 40, has accused the 58-year-old former socialite of trafficking her from Arizona to Epstein’s New Mexico ranch in 1996, where she claims Maxwell sexually assaulted her.
Lawyers for Farmer had complained in the New York court that that they’d been trying to find Maxwell to serve her but had been unable to track her down.
On Wednesday Freeman ordered Maxwell to be served by email and through attorneys representing her in the lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, 36, one of the most prominent accusers of Jeffrey Epstein.
Maxwell was said by Farmer’s lawyers to be actively participating Giuffre’s defamation case in the same court.
Farmers lawyers told the Post that they didn’t think Maxwell should be able to ‘doge the law’.
Annie Farmer (centre) has accused the Maxwell of trafficking her from Arizona to Epstein’s New Mexico ranch when she was a teenager, where she claims Maxwell sexually assaulted her
Freeman said that Farmer had ‘attempted to locate and personally serve Maxwell to no avail.
‘Her counsel has conducted extensive public records searches and located various addresses for Maxwell,’ she said.
The judge added that Farmer had ‘adequately demonstrated that personal service would be impracticable’.
Maxwell has until by March 6 to respond or a default judgment will be placed against her. She is also facing at least one other civil suit in federal court in Manhattan.
Maxwell, the daughter of the disgraced median mogul Robert Maxwell, has fallen off the grid since her ex-boyfriend died in August 2019 was found dead in his jail cell aged 66 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide but this has been disputed by his lawyers.
She has been reported to be based in locations ranging from the US to Israel but remains elusive.
Maxwell is said to be acvtively participating in Virginia Giuffre’s defamation lawsuit. She is a prominent accuser of Epstein