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Ghislaine Maxwell’s Trial Lawyers Sue Over Unpaid Fees Of $850,000, Conspiracy To 'Hide Assets'

© AP Photo / Elizabeth WilliamsIn this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell enters the courtroom escorted by U.S. Marshalls at the start of her trial, Nov. 29, 2021, in New York.
In this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell enters the courtroom escorted by U.S. Marshalls at the start of her trial, Nov. 29, 2021, in New York. - Sputnik International, 1920, 24.08.2022
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British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted by a federal jury in Manhattan on 29 December 2021 on five counts, including sex-trafficking of a minor. She was sentenced to 20 years behind bars after being found guilty of recruiting underage girls to be sexually abused by the late billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Ghislaine Maxwell’s defense lawyers are suing the convicted sex-trafficker for unpaid legal bills worth $850,000 (£720,000), Courthouse News reported.
The disgraced socialite’s former trial attorneys also allege that her brother Kevin and her estranged American husband Scott Borgerson conspired to hide her wealth.
The lawsuit filed on23 August by Colorado-based firm Haddon, Morgan & Foreman (HMF) also names Kevin Maxwell and Borgerson as defendants. One member of the convicted felon’s legal team, Bobbi Sternheim, does not appear to be named as a plaintiff.
Ghislaine Maxwell had originally retained the lawyers in 2015 to represent her in lawsuits filed by women accusing her former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein of abuse. Epstein died at a Manhattan jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The HMF team had also been involved in subsequent civil litigation. In late 2021, two lawyers - Jeffrey Pagliuca and Laura Menninger - were also hired to defend Maxwell at her criminal trial.
According to HMF, Maxwell had assured the legal team that her brother would cover payment for their services. However, the lawyers “developed concerns about Ms Maxwell’s willingness and ability to meet her financial obligations.” Kevin Maxwell wired the first $100,000 instalment to HMF in August 2020.
But by 4 January 2021, Maxwell owed the firm around $141,000, according to the filing. As HMF emailed Kevin Maxwell to ask about the owed sum, he is said to have ignored the queries.
“As 2021 progressed, Ms Maxwell fell consistently behind on her obligations to HMF. When HMF raised concerns, Mr Maxwell routinely assured the firm that he would satisfy the outstanding invoices. To keep HMF from withdrawing, Mr Maxwell made a handful of sporadic payments,” the team wrote in the filing to the Denver court.
HMF revealed that once the date approached of Ghislaine Maxwell’s 2021 trial, set for 29 November, they asked for a $1 million retainer in “recognition that Ms Maxwell’s trial would be a complex and extended ordeal that would require HMF to advance substantial costs, divert the firm’s resources from other matters, and require turning away other potential clients.”
When the payment was not forthcoming, the lawyers threatened to pull out on 5 November.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 06: Ghislaine Maxwell attends the 2014 ETM (EDUCATION THROUGH MUSIC) Children's Benefit Gala at Capitale on May 6, 2014 in New York City - Sputnik International, 1920, 25.07.2022
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Kevin Maxwell assured them that “the commitment we as a family have made to honor the fees due and requested by you both in good faith and as a binding commitment.”
He also ostensibly told the firm that Ghislaine’s estranged husband, tech entrepreneur Borgerson, was the one who controlled her assets, blaming him for the delays.

‘Shielding Assets’

The legal firm claims Borgerson, who was formerly chief executive of the data analytics company CargoMetrics that he founded in 2010, set up two limited liability companies.
These, they contend, were used by Borgerson to shelter Ghislaine Maxwell’s assets by acquiring two high-end condominiums in Boston, along with other properties.
Earlier, as Ghislaine Maxwell was awaiting trial, she attempted to secure bail, offering the New York federal court a $28.5Mln bond package, reported the outlet.
Furthermore, evidence surfaced that Maxwell had transferred a majority of her assets, worth $20.2Mln, into a trust controlled by Borgerson shortly after their 2016 marriage. According to prosecutors at the 2021 trial, this proved her ability to "hide her true wealth".
This undated trial evidence image obtained December 8, 2021, from the US District Court for the Southern District of New York shows British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and US financier Jeffrey Epstein - Sputnik International, 1920, 28.06.2022
When Jeffrey Met Ghislaine: The Story of Sex-Trafficking Lovers Epstein and Maxwell
The law firm is now suing Borgerson for “wrongfully encumbering Ms Maxwell’s assets, joint marital assets, and/or assets committed to fund her defense, impairing her ability to perform her obligations.”
HMF claim Borgerson and Maxwell “shared the motive of protecting those assets from creditors including HMF.”
Despite all the delays in payments, the legal firm, “relying on Mr Maxwell’s commitment, continued to devote all necessary resources to Ms Maxwell’s defense,” the attorneys wrote in the filing.
Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty on 29 December of recruiting underage girls to be sexually abused by the late billionaire financier Epstein between 1994 and 2004 at his properties. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June.
After Maxwell was convicted, more than $950,000 was due to the team. By mid-January, Kevin Maxwell had paid HMF only $143,500, with the firm still waiting for the remainder.
“HMF has been damaged as a result of Mr Maxwell’s fraud in an amount to be proved at trial,” the firm concluded.
Ghislaine Maxwell is at present serving her sentence at a low-security federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida. She has said she intends to appeal the conviction.
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