>
Ghislaine Maxwell hires Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers as she launches a $10 million appeal against a 20-year prison term for sexual assault after reaching an “ultimate” divorce settlement with her ex-husband
- Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years in prison for trafficking and sexual abuse
- The socialite had been involved in an ugly divorce agreement with her ex-husband
Ghislaine Maxwell is launching a $10 million appeal against her sexual assault conviction after reaching a last-minute divorce settlement with her ex-husband.
Maxwell’s appeal against his 20-year prison sentence was in serious jeopardy because his ex Scott Borgerson refused to release money from his $20 million trust.
The British socialite needed money both to pay a pending legal fee of $878,302 (£730,712) and to fund lawyers working on her appeal, which was due at the end of last month.
A breakthrough in talks with Borgerson has put an end to the bitter dispute, and a source close to the family said Maxwell, 60, was emboldened by the news.
“Ghislaine has reached a divorce settlement with her husband Scott Borgerson and is ready to fight back,” the source said. “Her lawyers for her are confident that she has a strong case to appeal.”
The British socialite needed money both to pay a pending legal fee of $878,302 (£730,712) and to fund lawyers working on her appeal, which was due at the end of last month.
Scott Borgerson (right) and Ghislaine Maxwell pictured together at the 2013 Arctic Circle Assembly
Maxwell and Borgerson reportedly got married in 2016 and met in Iceland in 2013.
Borgerson, an American tech millionaire, seized control of what was left of her fortune after transferring £20m into a trust fund before her arrest. This included £12.6 million from the sale of her New York home.
In July 2020, Borgerson is said to have ended the relationship over a phone call to the New York prison where Maxwell was awaiting trial for his role in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
After she was found guilty of five of the six counts related to trafficking and sexual assault, he refused to hand over the money Maxwell needed to pay off the Colorado law firm Haddon, Morgan and Foreman and $1 million. required to initiate an appeal.
Borgerson rejected claims that he was trying to force a better payoff from the divorce settlement. Maxwell will receive around $10 million, most of which will go towards her appeal.
He has hired Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers to try to have his conviction overturned. Arthur L. Aidala, who is representing disgraced movie mogul Weinstein in his court appeal, told PageSix.com that “the trial judge made mistakes” in Maxwell’s case.
She also said that she was “mistreated” during her incarceration, which included being “malnourished.”
In July 2020, Borgerson is said to have ended the relationship over a phone call to the New York prison where Maxwell was awaiting trial for his role in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal (Maxwell and Epstein pictured)
Ghislaine Maxwell hired Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers to try to have his conviction overturned
It is understood that Aidala’s appeal process will not be about proving Maxwell’s guilt or innocence, but “whether the judge who decided the case made the correct legal decision.”
The 30-page appeal, due by February 28, is currently 22,000 words. Maxwell’s lawyers are currently trimming it down to comply with the strict limitations on the length of such documents in US courts.
The State has three months to respond to the appeal and Maxwell’s legal team has another month to file their response. A hearing date will then be decided, and each party will have 30 minutes to present their case.
The court is likely to convene in July or September, although this schedule could be changed at the request of the prosecution team.