ST. CROIX — Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett’s lead attorney in her federal civil lawsuit linked to Jeffrey Epstein properly refiled a stipulation of dismissal on his third attempt today, after being notified via the court docket that two previously filed documents were deficient.
Attorney Eric Breslin, Plaskett’s lead attorney, and attorney Jordan Merson, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the case, submitted a stipulation of dismissal last Thursday that was filed with the District Court, Southern District of New York under the description, “Notice of Voluntary Dismissal.” The attorneys had electronically signed the document.
Last Friday, the court gave notice to Breslin in a docket entry for the case that the stipulation of dismissal filing was deficient because it lacked handwritten signatures and was filed under the incorrect event type. Breslin was instructed to refile the document using the description “Stipulation of Voluntary Dismissal.”
READ MORE: Court flags deficiency in dismissal filing of Epstein-linked suit against Plaskett, orders refiling
The document was subsequently refiled on Wednesday. It included handwritten signatures but was still described as a “Notice of Voluntary Dismissal.”
Breslin was immediately notified of the filing error in a docket entry, which indicated that the wrong event type was selected. He properly refiled the document today as a “Stipulation of Voluntary Dismissal.”
The newly filed document notified the court that the parties in the lawsuit and their attorneys agreed to dismiss the claims against Plaskett with prejudice, meaning they cannot be refiled.
The plaintiffs — five women identified as Jane Does — initially filed an individual and class action complaint on November 22, 2023. They were identified as Jane Does in the complaint to protect their identities due to the sensitive and highly personal nature of the allegations, which involved sexual assault. The complaint was filed individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated. A sixth woman later joined the case, and the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on December 12, 2023, followed by a second amended complaint on May 13, 2024.
In their second amended complaint, the plaintiffs alleged that all defendants used their political power and personal influence to coerce customs, U.S. Coast Guard, airport, and law enforcement agents to allow Epstein to bring New York men and women to the Virgin Islands for commercial sex acts before leaving the territory without any intervention or repercussions.
Plaskett was named as a defendant, along with several former Virgin Islands government officials — former Governors John de Jongh Jr. and Kenneth Mapp, former First Lady Cecile de Jongh, former Attorney General Vincent Frazer, and former Senators Celestino White and Carlton Dowe, who now serves as director of the VI Port Authority. The lawsuit included as defendants 100 unnamed individuals identified as John Does, including air traffic controllers, baggage handlers, police, and U.S. Coast Guard agents.
On March 21, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian dismissed the charges against all the defendants except Plaskett. He also dismissed Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act claims against Plaskett, as well as charges against her in her official capacity as delegate to Congress. However, he allowed remaining claims against Plaskett to proceed in her individual capacity. He found that Plaskett had sufficient personal ties to New York, unlike the other defendants, because she allegedly traveled there and solicited funds from Epstein.
After being convicted of procuring a child for prostitution in 2008 in Florida, Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019. While awaiting trial, he was found dead in his jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York on August 10, 2019 from an apparent suicide.
