Virginia Giuffre drops allegations against Alan Dershowitz, saying she ‘may have made a mistake’

By Kara Scannell

A woman who was a victim of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein has agreed to drop allegations against attorney Alan Dershowitz saying she “may have made a mistake” when she also accused him of sexual abuse.

The accuser, Virginia Giuffre, said in a statement that she was young at the time she was trafficked by Epstein and in a “very stressful and traumatic environment.” Giuffre had alleged that Epstein had trafficked her to Dershowitz between 2000 and 2002, but Dershowitz long denied her claim.

“I now recognize I may have made a mistake in identifying Mr. Dershowitz,” her statement said.

Giuffre sued Dershowitz in 2019 alleging he defamed her when he denied her claims and suggested she and her lawyers were trying to extort money from others. Her attorney, David Boies, also sued Dershowitz for defamation.

Dershowitz filed counter defamation claims against Giuffre and Boies.

On Tuesday, attorneys for Giuffre, Boies, and Dershowitz filed joint stipulations asking the judge overseeing the litigation to dismiss the claims with prejudice and without awarding fees to either side. The agreement, confirmed by the parties, resolves all the litigation between them.

Dershowitz told CNN, “I am gratified that Virginia Giuffre has dropped all of her claims against me and has admitted that she now recognizes she may have made a mistake in identifying me.”

In a prepared statement, he reiterated that he never had sex with Giuffre, adding, “I have nevertheless come to believe that at the time she accused me she believed what she said. Ms. Giuffre is to be commended for her courage in now stating publicly that she may have been mistaken about me. She has suffered much at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein, and I commend her work combatting the evil of sex trafficking.” Dershowitz also acknowledged his allegations about an extortion plot involving Boies were “mistaken.”

Boies said in a statement he appreciates Dershowitz’s acknowledgement that he had not engaged in extortion. He also added, “I know that Alan Dershowitz has suffered greatly from the allegation of sexual abuse made against him — an allegation that he has consistently, and vehemently, denied.”

The joint statement from Giuffre, Boies, and Dershowitz says, “the resolution does not involve the payment of any money by anyone or anything else.”

The agreement to drop their lawsuits resolves a long-running chapter in the Epstein story.

Giuffre had been outspoken about her claims against Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, alleging she was trafficked to some of his famous friends and associates including Prince Andrew and Dershowitz.

Epstein was indicted on sex trafficking charges in 2019 and died by suicide while in jail awaiting trial. Prosecutors in New York later indicted Maxwell on sex trafficking charges. She was convicted at trial last year.

Giuffre sued Prince Andrew over the alleged abuse. Earlier this year they reached a settlement and the Duke of York, who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, paid her an undisclosed amount.

At the time of the settlement, a statement filed with the court said the Prince would make a “substantial donation” to Giuffre’s charity which supports sex trafficking victims.

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CNN’s Amir Vera contributed to this report.