ST. CROIX — The attorney representing Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett in a federal civil lawsuit connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was given notice in an online court filing today that the stipulation of dismissal submitted Thursday was deficient and needed to be refiled.
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 Thursday that was filed with the District Court, Southern District of New York.
The parties and their respective counsel agreed to dismiss the case against Plaskett with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. The attorneys signed the stipulation of dismissal electronically.
According to the notice to Breslin, the stipulation of dismissal was filed deficiently because it was not signed with handwritten signatures by all parties who have appeared, and the wrong event type was used to file it. Breslin was instructed to refile the document using the event type “Stipulation of Voluntary Dismissal.”
The lawsuit alleges Plaskett participated in Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme by providing financial and nonfinancial support, including receiving a $30,000 campaign donation from Epstein after visiting his New York mansion. The complaint also suggests her role as counsel for the Virgin Islands Economic Development Commission, which approved $300 million in tax breaks for Epstein, led to her hiring at the law firm Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin PLLC.
In her April 4 response, Plaskett confirmed she served as general counsel for the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority, which oversees the EDC program, from approximately 2007 to 2012. She worked at Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin from 2013 to 2014 before being elected as delegate to Congress in 2014 and taking office in 2015. She asked the court to dismiss the case with prejudice and award her legal costs and other relief.
READ MORE: Plaskett denies claims in complaint connected to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, files for dismissal
The lawsuit, initially filed on November 22, 2023 by five women identified as Jane Does (later joined by a sixth), named several former government officials as defendants along with Plaskett. They were accused of using their political influence to make the Virgin Islands a safe haven for Epstein’s trafficking activities. The complaint was amended twice.
All defendants except Plaskett were dismissed by U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian on March 21. Subramanian allowed the remaining claims against Plaskett to proceed in her individual capacity while dismissing Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act claims as well as official-capacity charges. He found Plaskett had sufficient personal ties to New York, unlike the other defendants, because she allegedly traveled there and solicited funds from Epstein.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 in Florida for procuring a child for prostitution. He 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.
The other defendants previously dismissed from the lawsuit were former Governors John de Jongh Jr. and Kenneth Mapp, former First Lady Cecile de Jongh, former Attorney General Vincent Frazer, former Senators Celestino White and Carlton Dowe (now Port Authority director), and 100 unnamed individuals referred to as John Does — allegedly including air traffic controllers, baggage handlers, police, and Coast Guard agents.
