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The answer to the many questions that still swirl around Epstein and his high- placed friends are the subject of roughly a half-dozen lawsuits that are still pending in both Palm Beach County and New York. Some of the nation’s top attorneys have represented Epstein and some of his victims. But like many of the past lawsuits spawned by Epstein’s behavior, most of the remaining ones are expected to be settled. And even public court records don't tell the full story — because many documents have been sealed or are heavily redacted. For example, a defamation lawsuit against one of Epstein’s close friends was scheduled to go to trial in U.S. District Court in New York this coming Monday. But both sides agreed to a delay last week, often a signal that a settlement could be in the works. The suit was filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre against British-born socialite and longtime Epstein friend Ghislaine Maxwell. In a 2009 lawsuit that Epstein settled for an undisclosed amount, Giuffre claimed she was 15 when Maxwell recruited her from her $9-an-hour job in the locker room at Mar-a-Lago, where her father had a job as a maintenance worker. Giuffre claims in court records that Maxwell introduced her to Epstein and that Epstein turned her into his international sex slave. Maxwell wasn’t sued as part of the lawsuit Giuffre filed against Epstein. But, in court papers filed by Giuffre, Maxwell was accused of grooming Giuffre to be Epstein’s sexual toy. Maxwell ignored the allegations until Giuffre raised them again in December 2014 and Maxwell began publicly disputing Giuffe’s claims. Famed attorney David Boies then filed a defamation lawsuit on Giuffre’s behalf, claiming Maxwell “undertook a concerted and malicious campaign to discredit Giuffre.” In media interviews, Maxwell called Giuffre’s claims “obvious lies,” Boies wrote. The trial promised to provide scurrilous details about Giuffre’s widely publicized contention in court records that Epstein not only used her but loaned her to his rich and powerful friends, including such notables as Prince Andrew and former President Bill Clinton. Similar claims against nationally-known attorney Alan Dershowitz, who represents Epstein, were withdrawn when the Harvard law professor and Giuffre’s attorneys reached a confidential settlement in dueling defamation lawsuits they filed against each other over the allegations. HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_022992