Posted by Kevin Lizano.
The Fox News piece chronicles the details of a court deposition presented by the plaintiff’s attorney, a ‘Q and A’ where evidence of Epstein’s criminal culpability might be put on the table for all to see. During the deposition, the well-connected Epstein, a banker with many powerful acquaintances, is met with questions about his associates and his behavior. Yet instead of responsive and thoughtful answers, Epstein is said to have frequently pleaded the Fifth as the phrase goes, he has kept his mouth shut. In keeping with strategic phenomenology, Epstein was also repeatedly not answering questions, obstructing efforts at ‘knowing’ the facts. The plaintiff’s attorney asked questions about Epstein’s relationship with the former US president Bill Clinton, for example, with the explicit hope of getting the banker to talk more openly about the matter. Epstein’s ‘not answering’ drew attention to this challenge and offered ways to recast the image of Epstein Speaking of justice, a fund that is meant to support the victims of sexual abuse obtained money from Epstein because he pleaded guilty to a charge of soliciting prostitution with a minor.
This means that, in precisely the instance in which there might exist an alternative image of Epstein, legally instituted self-protection emerges to its fullest extent to impose itself on the prevailing image of Epstein. Adding to the challenge of disentangling Epstein’s network of associates, this phenomenally infused legal self-protection points to the real difficulty involved in the effort to do justice, and to the inability to do justice, when cases include powerful and wealthy people. Lawyers chased justice for Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers. He avoided details, using his legal rights. Their questions faced barriers and evasions. The deposition showed Epstein’s wide impact and problems holding powerful people responsible. He hid behind laws and secrecy. This exemplified challenges to privilege and authority structures. Epstein made difficult the pursuit against elite misconduct.
The story also shows the long shadow that Epstein’s legal fight has cast, and how the search for accountability has lived on past his death. Deposition, a small part of a bigger picture, might seem like a bite-sized narrative of a man crumbling, but it serves as a reminder of the challenges that come with taking on powerful people, especially as Epstein’s story continues to unfurl through the court system and in the court of public opinion. It captures all of the struggle and complications involved in seeking the truth in situations that are shrouded in secrecy, dishonesty and the abuse of power, and all of the struggle involved in seeking justice for Epstein’s victims and making anyone connected to his alleged crimes account for their actions. The latest release contains a deposition of Tony Figueroa, a driver for Epstein and Maxwell and former boyfriend of the one-time massage therapist Virginia Giuffre, who is one of Epstein’s best-known accusers. Giuffre says that she was trafficked and coerced into having sex with Epstein and other wealthy and powerful people by Maxwell and Ghislaine’s ex-husband. During Figueroa’s deposition, he says that Epstein would often ask him to drive girls to the mansion, stating “They looked like … um … 16-, 17-, 18-year-old girls.’ He continued: ‘Each time he pays me $200 for each time right when we drop them off.’
Kevin is a business information technology management major at the Stillman School of Business, Seton Hall University, Class of 2026.