High-profile attorney Alan Dershowitz filed a lawsuit against Netflix and the producers of “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich” on Wednesday, claiming the documentary made “false accusations of sexual misconduct” against him. Dershowitz, who represented the convicted sex offender in the late 2000s, is seeking more than $80 million in damages.
Dershowitz’s lawsuit focuses on claims made by Virginia Giuffre, who said Epstein directed her to have sex with the attorney. Dershowitz has denied having sex with Giuffre or any other victims of Epstein. His lawsuit, filed in Miami federal court, claims the documentary failed to present evidence the producers had “agreed to present” that would counter her claims.
By failing to disclose key details, Dershowitz’s lawsuit said, “the Netflix Epstein series, as a whole, effectively presented as a purported fact that Professor Dershowitz engaged in criminal sexual misconduct including sexual activity with a minor.”
The lawsuit continues: “The aforesaid defamatory factual implication is false. Professor Dershowitz did not have sex with Giuffe ever, let alone when she was a minor.”
A Netflix representative, when reached by TheWrap, said “Mr. Dershowitz’s lawsuit is without merit, and we will vigorously defend our partners and the series.”
The producers behind the four-part series, Leroy & Morton and Radical Media, according to Dershowitz’s lawsuit, also created a false “he said/she said” angle in its presentation of both Giuffre and Dershowitz’s claims. Dershowitz is seeking at least $20 million for four separate causes of action, including breach of contract and defamation.
Netflix and the producers “knowingly and deliberately misled Professor Dershowitz as to their intentions for his participation in the series, and maliciously and intentionally portrayed Professor Dershowitz in a defamatory manner,” the lawsuit added.
“Filthy Rich” was released in May 2020. Dershowitz represented Epstein in 2007, helping negotiate a plea bargain that included a short jail stint and required the disgraced financier to register as a sex offender. Epstein hanged himself in his jail cell in August 2019, about a month after he was arrested on new sex trafficking charges.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.