Challenges in the Life of Alan Dershowitz in a Detailed Timeline

Resilience and perseverance in the journey of Alan Dershowitz. A timeline of obstacles and growth.

Alan Dershowitz is an American lawyer and law professor, most notably at Harvard Law School from 1964 to 2013, becoming the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law in 1993. He is known for his expertise in U.S. constitutional and criminal law. Dershowitz is a frequent media commentator, political analyst, and legal expert, often involved in high-profile cases and expressing his views on a range of legal and political topics.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

2008: Giuffre's affidavit included in lawsuit against Justice Department

In 2008, Virginia Giuffre's affidavit was included in a lawsuit filed on behalf of women who claimed they were sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein. The lawsuit accused the Justice Department of violating the Crime Victims Rights Act by entering into a plea agreement with Epstein.

2008: Lawsuit seeking to reopen Epstein's case

In 2008, a lawsuit sought to reopen Epstein's case. The allegations against Dershowitz were removed from the record in April 2015 as having no bearing on the 2008 lawsuit.

December 30, 2014: Giuffre alleges sexual trafficking by Epstein and Dershowitz

On December 30, 2014, in a Florida court filing, Virginia Giuffre alleged that she was sexually trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein, who lent her to people for sex, including Alan Dershowitz and Prince Andrew. The motion claimed that Dershowitz was also an eyewitness to the sexual abuse of other minors.

January 2015: Dershowitz denies allegations and seeks disbarment

In the week after the release of Giuffre's affidavit in January 2015, Dershowitz denied the allegations of sexual misconduct and sought the disbarment of the lawyers filing the suit. During that same week in January 2015, Giuffre's lawyers sued Dershowitz for defamation.

April 2015: Allegations against Dershowitz removed from record

By early April 2015, U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Marra had the allegations against Dershowitz and Prince Andrew removed from the record as having no bearing on the 2008 lawsuit seeking to reopen Epstein's case.

2015: Involvement in defamation lawsuits

Beginning in 2015, Alan Dershowitz became embroiled in a series of defamation lawsuits and countersuits stemming from allegations of sexual misconduct.

April 2016: Settlement of countersuit

By April 2016, Dershowitz and Giuffre's lawyers settled Dershowitz's countersuit for an undisclosed sum.

February 2019: Ruling on Crime Victims Rights Act violation

In February 2019, Judge Marra ruled that prosecutors had violated the Crime Victims Rights Act.

April 2019: Giuffre files defamation lawsuit against Dershowitz

In April 2019, Virginia Giuffre filed a defamation lawsuit in the Southern District of New York against Alan Dershowitz, alleging he had made "false and malicious defamatory statements" about her, such as accusing her of perjury. The lawsuit sought punitive damages and repeated previous claims that Epstein sex-trafficked Giuffre to Dershowitz.

June 2019: Motions filed in Giuffre's lawsuit

In June 2019, Alan Dershowitz filed a motion to dismiss Giuffre's suit (which was later denied) and a motion to disqualify David Boies's firm from representing her (which was later approved).

November 2019: Dershowitz files countersuit and Boies sues Dershowitz

In November 2019, Alan Dershowitz filed a countersuit against Giuffre and accused Boies of pressuring Giuffre to provide false testimony, in response to which Boies sued Dershowitz in November 2019 for defamation. In this November 2019 lawsuit, Dershowitz alleged that Giuffre falsely labeled him as a child rapist and molester.

2019: Litigation between Giuffre and Dershowitz

In 2019, litigation was filed by Giuffre and Dershowitz against each other for defamation in federal court in New York.

May 2020: Giuffre repeats allegations in Netflix series

In May 2020, Virginia Giuffre repeated her allegations on camera as part of the Netflix series Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, stating that Epstein had trafficked her to Alan Dershowitz for sex at least six times. In response, Dershowitz repeated his denial of Giuffre's account and accused her of selling false allegations to news outlets.

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July 31, 2020: Dershowitz denies meeting Giuffre

In a July 31, 2020, interview, Alan Dershowitz stated, "I never met her. I never saw her," referring to Virginia Giuffre.

May 2021: Dershowitz sues Netflix and producers of documentary

In May 2021, Alan Dershowitz filed a defamation lawsuit in U.S. Federal District Court in Miami against Netflix and the producers of Jeffery Epstein: Filthy Rich, in addition to the 2019 litigation filed by Giuffre and Dershowitz against each other for defamation in federal court in New York.

2022: Settlement of lawsuits

In 2022, Giuffre, Dershowitz and Boies jointly announced that they had settled their respective lawsuits. Giuffre said that she realized that her identification of Dershowitz might have been a mistake. Dershowitz said that his assertion that Boies had engaged in an extortion plot and in suborning perjury was mistaken.