Major Controversies Surrounding Virginia Giuffre: A Detailed Timeline

Controversies are a part of history. Explore the biggest scandals linked to Virginia Giuffre.

Virginia Giuffre is an American-Australian advocate for sex trafficking survivors and a prominent accuser of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. She alleged that she was trafficked by them as a minor. In 2015, she founded Victims Refuse Silence, a non-profit organization, later renamed Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (SOAR) in 2021, to support survivors. Giuffre has shared her experiences with numerous reporters, becoming a vocal voice against sexual abuse and trafficking.

Sections (5)

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

March 13, 2001: Photo timestamp

On March 13, 2001, a photo showing Giuffre, Prince Andrew, and Maxwell was developed, with a time stamp showing it was printed three days after Andrew allegedly engaged in sexual activity with Giuffre. It was printed at a one-hour photo lab at Walgreens in Florida, near Giuffre's former home.

March 2001: Trafficked to Prince Andrew

In March 2001, Virginia Giuffre was allegedly trafficked to Prince Andrew, which she described as a "wicked" and "really scary time" in her life.

2001: Giuffre alleges being trafficked to Prince Andrew

In 2001, Giuffre alleges being trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell to have sex with Prince Andrew three times.

March 2005: Palm Beach Police Investigation Begins

In March 2005, while Virginia Giuffre was establishing her family in Australia, the Palm Beach Police Department began investigating Jeffrey Epstein after a 14-year-old girl reported his behavior.

October 2005: Growing List of Claims Against Epstein

By October 2005, the Palm Beach Police Department had a growing list of girls with similar claims of sexual abuse against Jeffrey Epstein, statements from his butlers corroborating their claims, and a search warrant for his Palm Beach property.

May 1, 2006: Reiter asked Krischer to remove himself from the case

On May 1, 2006, Police Chief Michael Reiter asked Barry Krischer to remove himself from the case; when Krischer declined, Police Chief Reiter turned his evidence over to the FBI for federal prosecution.

2007: Authorities Contacted Giuffre

In 2007, Virginia Giuffre received a series of phone calls from Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein, and an FBI agent, indicating she had been identified as a victim in the first criminal case against Epstein. She resisted speaking at length to the FBI until she was approached again about the matter in person, this time by the Australian Federal Police, six months after being contacted by phone.

2007: Acosta Decided Not to Prosecute Epstein

In 2007, then South Florida U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta decided not to prosecute Jeffrey Epstein in federal court and referred the matter back to the local jurisdiction.

2008: Dershowitz represents Epstein

In 2008, Alan Dershowitz represented Epstein in his criminal conviction and helped to negotiate the non-prosecution agreement on his behalf.

2008: Crime Victims' Rights Act lawsuit

In 2008, Giuffre's allegations were intended for inclusion in the Crime Victims' Rights Act lawsuit, involving her claims of being trafficked to Prince Andrew.

2008: Non-Prosecution Agreement Signed

In 2008, U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta agreed to sign a controversial non-prosecution agreement with Jeffrey Epstein, which was done without informing the victims, later determined to be in violation of the Crime Victims' Rights Act.

2008: Lawsuit Filed Against U.S. Justice Department

In 2008, a lawsuit (Jane Doe v. United States of America) was filed accusing the U.S. Justice Department of violating the Crime Victims' Rights Act during the first criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein.

2008: Lawsuit accusing Justice Department

In 2008, the affidavit from Giuffre was meant for inclusion as part of the lawsuit (Jane Doe v. USA) accusing the Justice Department of violating the Crime Victims Rights Act during Epstein's first criminal case.

May 2009: Giuffre Filed Lawsuit Against Epstein and Maxwell

In May 2009, Virginia Giuffre filed a lawsuit as Jane Doe 102 against Jeffrey Epstein and accused Ghislaine Maxwell of recruiting her to a life of being sexually trafficked while she was a minor.

March 2011: Giuffre's Story Publicized

In March 2011, Virginia Giuffre's story was first publicized by the Mail on Sunday, including the photo showing Prince Andrew with his arm around her.

July 2011: Prince Andrew's role as trade envoy terminated

In July 2011, Prince Andrew's ten-year role as a United Kingdom trade envoy was terminated, and he reportedly cut all ties with Epstein.

December 2014: Giuffre describes being trafficked to Prince Andrew

In December 2014, Virginia Giuffre described in a Florida court filing that she was trafficked to Prince Andrew, Duke of York, at least three times when she was 17 in 2001 for rape.

December 30, 2014: Allegations against Dershowitz appear in court filing

On December 30, 2014, claims that Alan Dershowitz participated in sexual activities with a minor later identified as Giuffre, first appeared in a Florida court filing by lawyers Bradley J. Edwards and Paul G. Cassell.

January 2015: Giuffre files court papers in Florida

In January 2015, Giuffre filed court papers in Florida, stating that Epstein trafficked her to Prince Andrew and Alan Dershowitz. In a sworn affidavit, she claims Maxwell worked as Epstein's madam.

April 2015: Giuffre not allowed to join lawsuit

In April 2015, a federal judge ruled that Giuffre could not join the federal Crime Victims' Rights Act lawsuit, and her affidavit was stricken from the case.

September 2015: Giuffre sues Maxwell for defamation

In September 2015, Giuffre sued Maxwell for defamation in federal court in New York as a result of Giuffre's allegations and Maxwell's comments about them.

2015: Defamation lawsuit and countersuit

In 2015, Edwards and Cassell sued Dershowitz for defamation and he countersued, after Dershowitz denied the allegations in Giuffre's statement and sought disbarment of Edwards and Cassell.

2015: Memoir filed as evidence

In 2015, Giuffre's unpublished memoir titled The Billionaire's Playboy Club, in which she described her time with Eppinger and Epstein was filed as evidence during her lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell.

2015: Giuffre Sued Maxwell for Defamation

In 2015, Virginia Giuffre sued Ghislaine Maxwell for defamation.

2015: British royal family denies impropriety allegations

In 2015, spokespersons for the British royal family stated that "any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue", and requests from Giuffre's lawyers for a statement under oath from the Duke about the allegations were returned unanswered.

2016: Settlement reached in defamation case

In 2016, the two parties, Edwards & Cassell and Dershowitz, settled their defamation case for an undisclosed financial sum.

June 2017: Defamation case settled

In June 2017, Giuffre's defamation case against Maxwell was settled under seal, with Maxwell reportedly paying Giuffre "millions".

December 2018: Settlement with Edwards

In December 2018, Jeffrey Epstein settled a countersuit with Bradley Edwards for an undisclosed sum and issued a public apology to the lawyer, who represents several of Epstein's accusers.

February 2019: District Judge Marra's Ruling

In February 2019, District Judge Kenneth Marra determined that prosecutors had violated victims' rights as defined by the Crime Victims' Rights Act.

April 2019: Giuffre files defamation lawsuit against Dershowitz

In April 2019, Giuffre filed a federal civil defamation lawsuit against Alan Dershowitz in New York, with David Boies as her lawyer.

July 6, 2019: Epstein arrested on sex trafficking charges

On July 6, 2019, Jeffrey Epstein was arrested at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and charged with sex trafficking and sex trafficking conspiracy.

August 9, 2019: Release of Documents Implicating Epstein and Maxwell

On August 9, 2019, the first batch of documents from Virginia Giuffre's suit against Ghislaine Maxwell were released to the public, further implicating Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell, and their associates.

August 10, 2019: Epstein found dead in prison cell

One month after his arrest, Jeffrey Epstein was found dead on August 10, 2019, after reportedly hanging himself in his Manhattan prison cell.

August 27, 2019: Hearing held for Epstein's accusers

On August 27, 2019, a hearing was held out of "respect" for "the difficult decisions victims made to come forward". Giuffre was among the 16 women who spoke publicly at the hearing.

August 29, 2019: Case against Epstein closed

On August 29, 2019, following Epstein's death, the case against him was closed after all sex trafficking charges were dismissed. Giuffre was among the 16 women who spoke publicly at the hearing on August 27th.

September 2019: Giuffre stands by claims of misconduct by Dershowitz

In September 2019, Giuffre stated that she continued to stand by her claims of misconduct by Dershowitz.

September 20, 2019: Giuffre appears on Dateline NBC special

Giuffre appeared on a special edition of Dateline NBC with Savannah Guthrie discussing the Epstein scandal along with other victims. The special, titled "Reckoning", aired on September 20, 2019.

October 2019: Cooper takes over representation of Giuffre

In October 2019, Charles Cooper took over representation of Giuffre in the defamation suit against Dershowitz after a judge ruled that Boies could not continue as Giuffre's lawyer because Dershowitz's claim that she conspired with her attorneys to make false claims had turned Boies into a potential witness.

October 2019: Giuffre interviewed by the BBC

In October 2019, Giuffre was interviewed by the BBC for a Panorama special, "The Prince and the Epstein Scandal", which aired on December 2, 2019. In the program, Giuffre described her experience of being sex-trafficked by Epstein to Prince Andrew.

October 2019: Giuffre's BBC Panorama Interview

In October 2019, Virginia Giuffre gave an interview for BBC's Panorama, aired on December 2, where she described her experiences of being sex trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein to Britain's Prince Andrew. This helped shift public opinion against the prince.

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November 10, 2019: Giuffre interviewed for 60 Minutes Australia investigation

On November 10, 2019, Giuffre was interviewed for the 60 Minutes Australia investigation where she described being trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell to have sex with Prince Andrew three times in 2001.

November 2019: Boies sues Dershowitz for defamation

In November 2019, Dershowitz accused Boies of pressuring Giuffre to provide false testimony, in response to which Boies sued Dershowitz for defamation.

November 16, 2019: Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew

On November 16, 2019, a Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew, discussing Giuffre's allegations and his friendship with Epstein, aired. The reaction to the Prince's conduct during the interview was one of overwhelming disapproval.

November 20, 2019: Prince Andrew resigns from royal duties

On November 20, 2019, Prince Andrew resigned from his royal duties as a number of organizations and charities that he was connected to severed ties.

December 2, 2019: The Prince and the Epstein Scandal

On December 2, 2019, the Panorama special, "The Prince and the Epstein Scandal", aired. In the program, Giuffre directly appealed to the public by stating, "I implore the people in the UK to stand up beside me, to help me fight this fight, to not accept this as being ok."

2019: Memoir unsealed

In 2019, Giuffre's unpublished memoir titled The Billionaire's Playboy Club, in which she described her time with Eppinger and Epstein was unsealed.

2019: Release of Court Documents

In 2019, court documents from a civil suit were released from seal, in which Virginia Giuffre named several individuals with whom she claims Epstein and Maxwell instructed her to have sex.

January 2020: U.S. attorney states Prince Andrew provided zero cooperation

In January 2020, U.S. attorney Geoffrey Berman stated that Prince Andrew had provided "zero cooperation" after the FBI and the Southern District of New York had requested to interview him as part of the Epstein inquiry.

July 2020: Giuffre interviewed by Gayle King for CBS This Morning

In July 2020, Giuffre was interviewed by Gayle King for CBS This Morning following Maxwell's federal indictment.

August 9, 2020: Surviving Jeffrey Epstein documentary series premieres

On August 9, 2020, Giuffre and other survivors of Epstein's sex trafficking ring were featured in the four-part documentary series Surviving Jeffrey Epstein, which premiered on Lifetime.

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August 9, 2021: Giuffre files civil lawsuit against Prince Andrew

On August 9, 2021, Virginia Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit in New York against Britain's Prince Andrew, alleging that she was forced to have several sexual encounters with the prince in the early 2000s after being trafficked by Epstein when she was 16 and 17 years old. Andrew denied Giuffre's claims.

October 2021: Oh sues Giuffre for defamation

In October 2021, Rina Oh sued Giuffre for defamation in Manhattan federal court, for $20 million in damages. The lawsuit referenced a series of tweets Giuffre made which accused Oh of helping traffic girls for Epstein, while Oh maintained she was a victim that had never helped traffickers.

January 12, 2022: Judge allows sexual abuse lawsuit to proceed

On January 12, 2022, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan rejected Prince Andrew's attempts to dismiss the case, allowing the sexual abuse lawsuit filed by Giuffre to proceed.

February 15, 2022: Out-of-court settlement reached in Giuffre's lawsuit against Prince Andrew

On February 15, 2022, the parties reached an out-of-court settlement, which included Prince Andrew making a substantial donation to Giuffre's charity. As part of the settlement, Prince Andrew acknowledged that it is "known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years" and that he "regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others." Andrew pledged to "demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims."

May 2022: Giuffre files counterclaim against Oh

In May 2022, Giuffre filed a counterclaim against Rina Oh, alleging that Oh had cut her during sadomasochistic games done for Epstein.

November 8, 2022: All claims dismissed

On November 8, 2022, all claims in the defamation case involving Giuffre, Boies, and Dershowitz were dismissed after attorneys filed joint stipulations, and no fees were awarded to either side. Giuffre stated she may have been mistaken in identifying Dershowitz.

January 8, 2024: Court unseals documents related to Giuffre lawsuit against Maxwell

On January 8, 2024, the court unsealed documents related to the 2015 lawsuit, totaling 4,553 pages and revealing the names of over 150 people connected to Epstein.