Ghislaine takes 2nd hit in court

Ghislaine Maxwell cannot name victims she allegedly groomed for Jeffrey Epstein as she fights her criminal case, a judge ruled Friday, handing the British socialite a second legal defeat in less than 24 hours.

Manhattan Federal Judge Alison Nathan wrote that it was important to preserve the privacy of crime victims in the case charging Maxwell, 58, with enticing minors to travel for sex.

“Not all accusations or public statements are equal. Deciding to participate in or contribute to a criminal investigation or prosecution is a far different matter than simply making a public statement ‘relating to’ Ms. Maxwell or Jeffrey Epstein, particularly since such a statement might have occurred decades ago and have no relevance to the charges in this case. These individuals still maintain a significant privacy interest that must be safeguarded,” Nathan wrote.

Late on Friday, Maxwell did score a small court win — a delay of publication of her depositions, which are said to include “intimate information about her personal life.” The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a hearing on the documents on Sept. 22, meaning they won’t be unsealed for at least two months.

Maxwell had argued she was at an unfair disadvantage because some of her accusers have spoken publicly about the charges. Meanwhile, she’s prohibited from naming the women she’s accused of luring into Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme. Maxwell also allegedly participated in some of the abuse.

On Thursday a judge unsealed reams of papers from a civil suit filed against Maxwell by an Epstein accuser, over the accused madam’s desperate objections. The papers included many lurid allegations against Maxwell and the famous men she cultivated as friends. The documents also included an email exchange in 2015 in which Epstein encouraged Maxwell to “go to parties” despite mounting accusations the pair abused girls.

Maxwell has pleaded not guilty and is being held at MDC Brooklyn without bail.