Defense attorney Alan Dershowitz has filed a sworn statement denying allegations that he had sex with an underage woman.
Dershowitz, a professor emeritus at Harvard Law School, filed his statement in Florida federal court Monday night, calling the allegation against him a “deliberate lie.”
The woman who has accused Dershowitz — along with Britain’s Prince Andrew and other prominent Europeans — claimed she was forced to have sex with the men by billionaire investor Jeffrey Epstein, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison as part of a plea deal in 2008. Dershowitz was one of Epstein’s lawyers.
Previously, Dershowitz threatened to bring disbarment charges against the lawyers who allowed the accusation to go forward without checking the woman’s statements, claiming he could prove he wasn’t at the same place at the same time as the woman.
“I’m planning to file disbarment charges against the two lawyers who signed this petition without even checking the manifests of airplanes or travel itineraries, et cetera,” Dershowitz said. “I’m also challenging the young woman and the lawyers to level those charges against me outside of the courtroom, so that I can sue them for defamation. … Finally, I’m challenging the woman to file criminal charges against me because the filing of false criminal charges is a crime.”
The young woman, identified in court papers as Jane Doe #3, maintained her accusation.
“I am looking forward to vindicating my rights as an innocent victim and pursuing all available recourse. It appears that I am now being unjustly victimized again,” she said. “These types of aggressive attacks on me are exactly the reason why sexual abuse victims typically remain silent and the reason why I did for a long time. That trend should change. I’m not going to be bullied back into silence.”
The woman’s lawyers, Paul Cassell and Bradley Edwards, said they had tried to depose Dershowitz.
“We have been informed of Mr. Dershowitz’s threats based on the factual allegations we have made in our recent filing. We carefully investigate all of the allegations in our pleadings before presenting them,” the lawyers wrote. “We have also tried to depose Mr. Dershowitz on these subjects, although he has avoided those deposition requests. Nevertheless, we would be pleased to consider any sworn testimony and documentary evidence Mr. Dershowitz would like to provide which he contends would refute any of our allegations.”
