MANHATTAN (CN) - A woman who accused billionaire Jeffrey Epstein of sexually assaulting her when she was 16 now claims the New York Post defamed her in "a vicious smear campaign" cooked up by the Post and its publicist and agent, who also worked for Epstein, to discourage her and others from suing Epstein, whom she views as the Post's pet. Ava aka Maximilia Cordero, makes lurid allegations in her 17-page claim in New York County Court.
Ava's attorney William Unroch summarizes the claim like this: "(The) New York Post and its employees and agents engaged in a vicious smear campaign to 'rape' a teen-age sex assault victim a second time through a series of malicious false stories in the New York Post and republished throughout the world. The stories falsely claimed as fact that plaintiff age 23 who had filed a lawsuit against Jeffrey Epstein claiming that when she was 16 she was sexually assaulted by Epstein a billionaire serial pedophile was a promiscuous slut, liar, and transvestite who had lied about being sexually assaulted by Epstein to steal money from Epstein. Epstein, a billionaire and accused serial child molester is currently awaiting trial on statutory rape charges in Florida and upon information and belief has other victims around the country. The defendants intentionally engaged in this vicious smear campaign to destroy plaintiff's reputation and to discourage other young women from suing Epstein or pursuing criminal charges against him by warning them if they went against Epstein their reputation and careers would be destroyed."
The claim continues: "In carrying out their vicious scheme the defendants utilized the services of the New York Post's own publicist and agent Howard Rubenstein to paint an outrageous, false, and defamatory portrait of the victim plaintiff and her attorney as 'money-seeking lawyers and their women'. The Post did not advise their (sic) readers that Rubenstein worked for the Post and gave the impression that Rubenstein was only employed by Epstein. Defendants intentionally quotes phony websites from their own subsidiary company Myspace, wrongfully attributed sexually perverted quotes to plaintiff, went to plaintiff's father, brother, and other relatives and wrongfully told them the plaintiff suffered from a sexually transmitted disease in violation of New York State Medical Privacy Laws ... and engaged in an outrageous pattern of malicious, false, defamatory, and reckless conduct ...".
She demands $100 million for libel, invasion of medical privacy, and emotional distress.
See complaint.
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