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 known for accusing Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She is a campaigner who advocates for survivors of sex trafficking. In 2015, Giuffre founded Victims Refuse Silence, a non-profit organization to support victims. It was later relaunched as Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (SOAR) in 2021. She has publicly shared her experiences of being trafficked by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell with various American and British media outlets.

Sections (5)

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

March 13, 2001: Time stamp on photo of Giuffre, Prince Andrew and Maxwell

On March 13, 2001, the back of a photo showing Giuffre, Prince Andrew and Maxwell has a time stamp showing it was developed on this date. The photo was printed at a one-hour photo lab at Walgreens in Florida, near Giuffre's former home.

2001: Giuffre trafficked to Prince Andrew

In 2001, Virginia Giuffre, at age 17, was allegedly trafficked to Prince Andrew, Duke of York, at least three times for rape. She claimed Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell took her to Tramp nightclub in London, where she met and danced with Andrew. Later that night, Maxwell instructed her to "do for (Prince Andrew) what you do for Epstein". She also alleged Epstein paid her $15,000 after she had sex with the Duke in London.

2008: Controversial Non-Prosecution Agreement

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

December 30, 2014: Giuffre names Dershowitz in court filing

On December 30, 2014, a Florida court filing by lawyers Bradley J. Edwards and Paul G. Cassell alleged that Alan Dershowitz was one of several prominent figures to have participated in sexual activities with a minor, later identified as Giuffre.

January 2015: Giuffre files court papers stating trafficking

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: Judge rules Giuffre cannot 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 due to Giuffre's allegations and Maxwell's comments about them.

2015: Defamation suit and countersuit filed between Edwards, Cassell and Dershowitz

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

2016: Edwards, Cassell and Dershowitz settle

In 2016, Edwards, Cassell and Dershowitz settled their legal battles for an undisclosed financial sum.

June 2017: Giuffre and Maxwell settle defamation case

In June 2017, after much legal confrontation, Giuffre and Maxwell settled the defamation case under seal, with Maxwell reportedly paying Giuffre "millions".

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 10, 2019: Epstein found dead in prison cell

On August 10, 2019, Jeffrey Epstein was found dead after reportedly hanging himself in his Manhattan prison cell.

August 27, 2019: Accusers invited to speak publicly about Epstein

On August 27, 2019, District Judge Richard Berman invited Epstein's accusers to speak publicly at a hearing out of "respect" for "the difficult decisions victims made to come forward".

August 29, 2019: Case against Epstein closed after his death

On August 29, 2019, in the wake of Epstein's death 19 days prior, the case against Epstein was closed after District Judge Richard Berman dismissed all sex trafficking charges.

September 2019: Giuffre stands by claims against 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

On September 20, 2019, 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 this date.

October 2019: Cooper replaces Boies as Giuffre's representation

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.

October 2019: Giuffre interviewed by the BBC

In October 2019, Giuffre gave an interview to the BBC, and described her experience of being sex-trafficked by Epstein to Prince Andrew for a Panorama special.

November 10, 2019: Giuffre interviewed for 60 Minutes Australia

On November 10, 2019, Giuffre was interviewed for the 60 Minutes Australia investigation. In the program she described her experiences of 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: Prince Andrew's Newsnight interview airs

On November 16, 2019, BBC reporter Emily Maitlis conducted a Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew, discussing Giuffre's allegations and his friendship with Epstein. The reaction to the Prince's conduct during the interview was overwhelmingly negative.

November 20, 2019: Prince Andrew resigns from royal duties

On November 20, 2019, Prince Andrew resigned from his royal duties due to the overwhelming disapproval of his conduct during the Newsnight interview and Giuffre's public appeal.

December 2, 2019: Panorama special 'The Prince and the Epstein Scandal' airs

On December 2, 2019, a Panorama special titled "The Prince and the Epstein Scandal" aired, where Giuffre directly appealed to the public to stand up beside her and help her fight.

January 2020: Prince Andrew shows "zero cooperation" to U.S. attorney

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

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August 9, 2020: Surviving Jeffrey Epstein documentary 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, 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.

October 2021: Rina Oh sues Giuffre for defamation

In October 2021, Rina Oh sued Giuffre for defamation, alleging that Giuffre accused Oh of helping traffick girls for Epstein, while Oh maintains that she was a victim and that she has 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: Settlement reached between Giuffre and Prince Andrew

On February 15, 2022, Giuffre and Prince Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement, which included the Prince 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."

November 8, 2022: All claims dismissed in Giuffre and Dershowitz defamation suit

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

2025: Separation and Allegations of Abuse

In 2025, Virginia Giuffre and her husband separated, and Virginia stated that he had physically abused her. She was accused of breaching a family violence restraining order and denied violating the order, stating that she would defend herself against the malicious claim.