Mystery 'John Doe' in Epstein-linked legal battle seeks identity protection

A mysterious figure in the scandal surrounding now-deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein has emerged as part of an ongoing legal battle over previously sealed court documents, which could expose those who have not already been publicly identified as having involvement in Epstein's crimes, according to reports.

An attorney for the unidentified person, known to the court only as John Doe, attended a teleconference pertaining to attorney Alan Dershowitz’s ongoing effort to be given access to sealed documents from an unrelated 2016 lawsuit between Epstein’s longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxell, and one of his accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, according to the Miami Herald.

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Dershowitz is in the midst of a civil defamation battle against Giuffre. Giuffre, 36, sued Dershowitz and he, in turn, countersued for defamation after she said she was forced into having sex with him.

Giuffre has said Epstein trafficked her to several prominent men, including Dershowitz. But Dershowitz says it never happened and she has fabricated allegations and “far-fetched stories” against others.

An attorney for Dershowitz, a Harvard professor who has represented big names, including Epstein and President Trump, claimed during Tuesday’s teleconference that the sealed court papers in the case between Giuffre and Maxwell could bolster his own case against her, according to the Herald and the Daily Mail.

Dershowitz has been active on Twitter in recent days arguing in his own defense against Giuffre.

But lawyers for Giuffre, Maxwell and the John Doe were against Dershowitz's effort to have access to the sealed records, according to the reports.

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Doe’s attorney, Nicholas J. Lewin, argued the importance of shielding his client and others who have not been identified as having any involvement in Epstein’s criminal dealings. Doe has reportedly denied having any sexual relations with Giuffre.

Lewin has made similar arguments for the sake of his clients' identity protection in the past.

In September 2019, he voiced those concerns to a judge in an unrelated case over whether or not to make a trove of different sealed documents public.

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Lewin argued at the time that the information released could be “life-changing" and cited his client's "reputational rights," court records showed. It was not clear if his client in the earlier case was the same as the person he was representing during Tuesday's teleconference.

Dershowitz's attorney also revealed Tuesday that he has already obtained Giuffre's deposition from the 2016 case, in which she alleged she was ordered by Epstein to have sex with L Brand founder Les Wexner, formerly the owner of Victoria's Secret, and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, according to Herald reporter Julie K. Brown.

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Both men have denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes, Brown said. Giuffre previously publicly accused Britain's Prince Andrew.

Epstein, 66, was a hedge fund manager who rubbed elbows with the rich, famous and influential, including, presidents and Andrew, the Queen's second son.

Epstein died in a Manhattan, New York, jail cell in August 2019, from what officials deemed was suicide by hanging. At the time, he was awaiting trial in connection to accusations he paid underage girls hundreds of dollars in cash for massages, then sexually abused them.

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The criminal case against Epstein was dismissed following his death, but investigators are still probing many of Epstein's known associates, including Andrew and Maxwell, with whom the Duke reportedly frequently spent time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.