Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Ghislaine Maxwell's defense calls on 'false memories' expert in sex abuse trial

Ghislaine Maxwell's defense calls on 'false memories' expert in sex abuse trial

Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers began making their case on Thursday at her trial on sex abuse charges, calling a psychologist to testify about false memories in a bid to undercut accounts of four women who say Maxwell set them up for abuse by financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The four women testified for the prosecution that Maxwell, a British socialite, had a central role in grooming them as teenagers for their sexual encounters with Epstein. He died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges.

Maxwell's defense said they could finish their case by the end of this week.

Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of sex trafficking and other charges. Her attorneys argue that the memories of the four accusers have become corrupted over the years. The alleged abuse took place between 1994 and 2004, according to a 2021 indictment.

On Thursday, Elizabeth Loftus, a psychology professor at the University of California, Irvine, testified that people can confidently recall events that never happened and told the jury about experiments in which she and colleagues had successfully planted false memories in study participants' minds.

"Even traumatic experiences can be subjected to post-event suggestion," Loftus said. "False memories ... can be very vivid, detailed. People can be confident about them, people can be emotional about them, even though they're false."

Loftus, who said she was being compensated $600 per hour for her time, has been a witness or consultant for hundreds of trials, including those of Harvey Weinstein and O.J. Simpson.

Maxwell's lawyers have said the accusers did not mention Maxwell during initial talks with law enforcement, and Loftus' testimony could help them argue that their memories of Maxwell's involvement was shaped by news reports or questions FBI agents asked them. They say prosecutors are using Maxwell as a stand-in for Epstein.

U.S. prosecutor Lara Pomerantz sought to portray Loftus' work as irrelevant to the Maxwell case.

"Have you conducted a study where you arranged for girls to be sexually abused?" Pomerantz asked.

"No, absolutely not," Loftus replied, adding that she had never conducted a study in which she attempted to implant a false memory of sexual abuse either.

Jurors earlier on Thursday heard from Cimberly Espinosa, a former Maxwell executive assistant from 1996 to 2002 who testified that she never saw Maxwell or Epstein engage in inappropriate behavior with underage girls.

Maxwell was an employee of Epstein's at the time, helping to manage his numerous personal properties. The two were initially a couple, though their romantic relationship later fizzled, said Espinosa, who recalled Maxwell as a demanding boss whom she nonetheless admired.

"I highly respected Ghislaine," Espinosa said. "I looked up to her very much."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×