Ghislaine Maxwell lawyers seek to exclude victim statements

Attorneys argue sentencing hearing should not hear from four accusers because their ages did not legally qualify them as victims

Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers are fighting to keep several accusers from providing victim impact statements at her sentencing for sex trafficking on Tuesday. The British socialite's legal team argued in court filings on Friday that four accusers' ages meant that they were not statutory crime victims" who would have the right to speak at sentencing.

In making their arguments, Maxwell's legal team publicly included three impact statements, which were submitted to Judge Alison Nathan in advance of sentencing; this appears to be an unusual move, as prosecutors typically file these remarks. This seemingly unusual move also means that Maxwell's lawyers - not the victims and not those representing them - made the decision about when the victims' words would be public.