Dershowitz denies sexual involvement with minor, wants disbarment for her lawyers
Alan Dershowitz, whose name is mentioned in a federal civil rights action filing that deals with the sex trafficking of minors, told the Harvard Crimson that the accusations against him are false.
“I will be completely vindicated,” the Harvard Law School professor told the paper.
The allegation was made in a Dec. 30 Southern District of Florida motion (PDF) on behalf of two women who want to join a Crime Victims’ Rights Act case against the government. The complaint alleges that Jeffrey E. Epstein, who in 2008 pleaded guilty to a felony solicitation charge involving a minor, forced a girl to have sexual relations with Dershowitz on multiple occasions.
The motion argues that Epstein’s plea deal negotiations violated his victims’ civil rights, and it notes that Dershowitz represented Epstein in the negotiations. Besides having sexual relations with a minor, the filing states, Dershowitz was an eyewitness to his client sexually abusing “many other minors.”
“Indeed, Dershowitz helped negotiate an agreement that provided immunity from federal prosecution in the Southern District of Florida not only to Epstein, but also to ‘any potential co-conspirators of Epstein,’” the filing states.
According to the filing, the minor Dershowitz is accused of having sexual relations with was also forced to have sexual relations with Prince Andrew of the British royal family. In response, Buckingham Palace issued a statement that the accusations were untrue, the New York Times reports.
Besides denying the accusations, Dershowitz has said that he plans to file disbarment proceedings against the plaintiffs’ lawyers, Bradley J. Edwards and Paul G. Cassell. Cassell, a former federal judge, is a University of Utah law professor.
“They are lying deliberately, and I will not stop until they’re disbarred,” Dershowitz told the New York Times.
Dershowitz told the Harvard Crimson that he also plans to file as an intervenor in the case, to “prove under oath” that the accusations didn’t happen. He criticized the plaintiffs for making the accusation in a lawsuit where he is not a party.
According to the New York Times, Cassell in a statement said that the pleadings’ allegations were thoroughly investigated, and the litigation team would consider any testimony or evidence provided by Dershowitz.
Cassell also sent the paper a statement from one of the plaintiffs, “Jane Doe No. 3.” She said she has been “unjustly victimized again” and noted that she would “not be bullied back into silence.”
