23 November 2023 , 19:57
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Convicted teen sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is being sued by a woman who testified she was "raped countless times" by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Elizabeth Stein read an impact statement at the socialite's sentencing, saying she was a student when the Brit befriended her and then introduced her to the serial sex abuser. "I was assaulted, raped, and trafficked countless times in New York and Florida during a three-year period," she said in her lawsuit, which also names Epstein's estate as a defendant.
She adds that at one point during her abuse, she became pregnant and had an abortion. Stein was a teenager attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1992 when she began work experience at a now-defunct department store. Two years into the role, when she was 21, Maxwell approached her, according to her civil complaint.
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Elizabeth Stein, left, is now suing Ghislaine Maxwell (Getty Images)As Maxwell shopped, she allegedly claimed that her colleague was close friends with Les Wexner, former CEO of Victoria's Secret, whose retailing and marketing business once owned the department store. The complaint states Maxwell, 61, later asked Stein to deliver her purchases to a hotel.
Teen 'kept as slave, starved and beaten' sues adoptive parents and authorities
Once there, a member of staff directed her to the bar, where Maxwell and Epstein were drinking. Stein joined them in a hotel room to deliver the packages. The pair allegedly changed into monogrammed bathrobes before asking about Stein's "personal and sex life." They allegedly began kissing and touching each other before asking if Stein had ever participated in a threesome.
"Maxwell then encouraged [Stein] to join them and assured her 'it would be fun,'" the complaint reads. As Stein was "hesitant and afraid of Epstein or Maxwell hurting her physically and professionally," she relented. At one point, the then-teen allegedly asked to stop and was ignored. The incident began what is described as "a three-year nightmare" for Stein, where Maxwell and Epstein allegedly stalked her, sexually abused her, and trafficked her to their "friends."
Maxwell faces 20 years behind bars (PA)
Stein says she was "assaulted, raped, and trafficked countless times" (AFP via Getty Images)She is seeking damages from Maxwell, who is currently in a Florida prison. Epstein committed suicide in August 2019 in a New York jail while awaiting trial for underage sex trafficking. He was 66.
Prince Andrew's friend, Maxwell, was convicted in December 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. The British socialite, the daughter of crooked media tycoon Robert Maxwell, was found guilty of trafficking women and girls for Epstein to sexually abuse.
Stein's case was filed under New York's Adult Survivors Act, which went into effect in late November 2022 and allows adult survivors of sexual abuse to sue their abusers in New York – even if the statute of limitations on their claims had expired. The law has given adult survivors of sexual assault one year to file lawsuits against their perpetrators, which expired at midnight (Fri).