Ghislaine Maxwell is sued for nearly $900K in unpaid legal bills
Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly owes a Colorado law firm nearly $900,000, according to a new lawsuit that accuses the convicted sex-trafficker’s brother and estranged husband of hiding her assets.
Denver-based firm Haddon, Morgan and Foreman, PC, sued the disgraced British socialite Monday in an attempt to recover $878,302 in unpaid legal bills for work it did defending her against civil lawsuits and in her criminal case in New York, according to the Denver Post.
The lawsuit, filed in Denver District Court, also names her brother Kevin Maxwell and husband Scott Borgerson for allegedly not making good on promises to pay up and trying to shield her assets from being used to satisfy the debt.
The firm — which has repped the parents of JonBenét Ramsey and defended Kobe Bryant against sex abuse allegations — early in the case began being concerned about “Ms. Maxwell’s willingness and ability to meet her financial obligations,” the suit alleges.
It notified Kevin Maxwell — who was put in charge of paying the lawyers by his sister — that it “could no longer represent” her on Aug. 11, 2020, the Denver Post reported.
But then Kevin Maxwell agreed to personally ensure that there was always $100,000 in the firm’s trust while the case was ongoing, the suit claims.
Still, by November 2020, the retainer funds ran out, and she owed $141,160 by January 2021, the newspaper reported.
Meanwhile, as Maxwell’s December sex-trafficking trial in Manhattan federal court approached, the firm said it would need a $1 million retainer payment before the start of the proceedings, especially given the history of issues getting paid, the outlet reported.
Kevin Maxwell made occasional payments but failed to restore the retainer to $100,000 and never paid the money that was owed, the suit claims.
He blamed the delays on Borgerson saying he “controlled Ms. Maxwell’s money and was responsible for delaying payments to the firm,” the lawsuit alleges.
Despite Borgerson selling millions worth of property, the firm only received $143,500 from Kevin Maxwell in January — and is still owed $878,302, the suit claims.
“Mr. Maxwell breached the agreement by failing to pay for services and advanced costs on behalf of Ms. Maxwell,” the lawsuit alleges.
The suit blames Kevin Maxwell for lying about timing of payments and accuses Borgerson of not releasing Maxwell’s money to pay the firm, the outlet reported.
Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, was convicted in December of helping late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein recruit and groom girls for years for him to abuse. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Epstein, 66, committed suicide in August 2019 in a Lower Manhattan jail while he was awaiting trial.
