Virginia Giuffre, one of the earliest and most vocal accusers in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, was reportedly in deep emotional and financial turmoil in the weeks leading to her death, fearing that her multimillion-pound settlement from Prince Andrew could be in jeopardy. Giuffre, who died by suicide on April 25 in Australia, had been battling a defamation lawsuit and escalating personal crises, according to sources close to her.
The legal action, brought by artist and fellow Epstein survivor Rina Oh, accused Giuffre of falsely labeling her as Epstein's "girlfriend" and a recruiter of young women. Under New York law, Oh's £7.5 million lawsuit will now transfer to Giuffre's estate. Just three weeks before her death, the New York State Appellate Court rejected Giuffre's motion to dismiss one of the two suits filed by Oh.
"Virginia was extremely distressed in the weeks before she died. She felt like everything she had fought so hard for was going or gone," a source told the Mirror. "Couple this with the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of Epstein."
In court filings, Oh's attorneys stated: "Considering the high profile nature of the Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Prince Andrew story, [Giuffre] knew that accusing [Oh], a fellow victim, of such horrible things, would maximise the spread and harm and damage to [Oh]."
The legal complaint further alleged that Giuffre "maliciously reiterated and republished these defamations and slanders in prior and subsequent tweets and interviews on podcasts, TV and for magazines, as well as in her memoirs entitled Billionaire's Playboy Club."
Tweets attributed to Giuffre also included allegations of physical assault by Oh, which Oh has denied, asserting that she too was a victim of Epstein's sexual exploitation and psychological coercion.
The lawsuit filed by Oh became a flashpoint in the legal strategy of Prince Andrew's defense team following Giuffre's 2021 lawsuit alleging that the royal sexually abused her when she was 17. Andrew has consistently denied the allegations, and the case ended with a reported £12 million out-of-court settlement.
Giuffre's deteriorating mental state was compounded by mounting personal issues. According to sources, she was experiencing the breakdown of her marriage and was reportedly losing access to her children, who had remained with her husband.
Giuffre's role in exposing Epstein's abuse network helped spur global investigations into the financier's trafficking operations and implicated numerous high-profile individuals, including Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
