Ben Feuerherd and Tamar Lapin
New York PostThu, 16 Dec 2021 18:48 UTC
© REUTERSGhislaine Maxwell's lawyer Bobbi Sternheim questioned "false memories" expert psychologist Elizabeth Loftus on the stand.
A psychologist and expert on "false memories" who has testified or consulted in high-profile trials —
including Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby's — was called to the stand in Ghislaine Maxwell's case by her defense lawyers Thursday as part of their attempts to undermine her accusers' testimony.
Elizabeth Loftus, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, was questioned by Maxwell attorney Bobbi Sternheim, about how a person's memories can be influenced or constructed.
"Emotion is no guarantee that you're dealing with an authentic memory," she told the jury.
Loftus has testified or consulted in some 300 trials since 1975, including those of Michael Jackson, O.J. Simpson, Robert Durst and Ted Bundy.She testified that her research has shown personal biases can influence memories — and people are more likely to accept "suggestions" that correspond with their beliefs or motives.
© Alec TabakDr. Elizabeth Loftus is pictured in front of the Thurmond Marshall Courthouse on Dec. 16, 2021 in New York City. Loftus, a memory expert, testified for the defense in the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell.
"People do seem to be more willing to accept suggestions when it's going to fit with their prior beliefs or fit with their motives," Loftus said.
During cross-examination, Assistant US Attorney Lara Pomerantz grilled Loftus over the fact that the expert has only ever testified for the prosecution one time out of 150.She also brought up a 1991 book by Loftus titled, "Witness for the Defense.""You wrote a book called 'Witness for the Defense'?" Pomerantz asked.
"Yes," Loftus replied.
"You haven't written a book called 'Impartial Witness,' right?""No," Loftus said.
Comment: More from
Business Insider:
Earlier this year, around 150 women accusing Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse accepted money from a victims' compensation fund.
The disgraced financier killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. For his accusers, the $125 million distributed from the Epstein Victims' Compensation Program gave a sense of closure that the criminal justice system couldn't.
In accepting money from the program, the accusers had to sign a release form, a copy of which has been obtained by Insider.
The language in the release required the women to drop any existing lawsuits against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime associate who multiple women have accused of sexually abusing them and of trafficking them to Epstein. The release also forbids accusers who accepted compensation from ever filing a lawsuit against Maxwell in the future.
So why would they have paid these girls off if their memories were "false"?
Comment: More from Business Insider: So why would they have paid these girls off if their memories were "false"?