This is an FBI investigation document from the Epstein Files collection (VOL00011). Text has been machine-extracted from the original PDF file. Search more documents →
VOL00011
EFTA02726484
154 pages
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180 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO.: CACE 15-000072 BRADLEY J. EDWARDS and PAUL G. CASSELL„ Plaintiffs, vs. ALAN M. DERSHOWITZ, Defendant. CONTINUED VIDEOTAPE DEPOSITION OF ALAN M. DERSHOWITZ VOLUME 2 Pages 180 through 333 Friday, October 16, 2015 9:18 a.m. - 12:26 p.m. Cole Scott & Kissane 110 Southeast 6th Street Fort Lauderdale, Florida Stenographically Reported By: Kimberly Fontalvo, RPR, CLR Realtime Systems Administrator www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726484
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181 1 APPEARANCES: 2 On behalf of Plaintiffs: 3 SEARCY, DENNEY, SCAROLA 4 BARNHART & SHIPLEY, P.A. 2139 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard 5 West Palm Beach, Florida 33402-3626 BY: JACK SCAROLA, ESQ. 6 7 8 On behalf of Defendant: 9 COLE, SCOTT & KISSANE, P.A. Dadeland Centre II - Suite 1400 10 9150 South Dadeland Boulevard Miami, Florida 33156 11 BY: THOMAS EMERSON SCOTT, JR., ESQ. 12 BY: ST ISAFRAG. (Via phone) 13 --and-- 14 SWEDER & ROSS, LLP 131 Oliver Street 15 Boston, MA 02110 BY: KENNETH A. SWEDER, ESQ. 16 • 17 --and-- 18 WILEY, REIN 17769 K Street NW 19 Washington, DC 20006 BY: RICHARD A. SIMPSON, ESQ. 20 BY: NICOLE A. RICHARDSON, ESQ. 21 22 23 24 25 www.piiiiiiiiiiiiir.com EFTA02726485
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182 1 APPEARANCES (Continued): 2 On behalf of Jeffrey Epstein: 3 DARREN K. INDYKE, PLLC 575 Lexington Ave., 4th Fl. 4 New York, New York BY: DARREN K. INDYKE, ESQ. (Via phone) 5 6 On behalf of 7 BOIES, SCHILLER & FLEXNER, LLP 401 E. Las Olas Blvd., Ste. 1200 8 Fort Lauderdale Florida 33301 BY: 9 10 11 ALSO PRESENT: 12 Joni Jones, Utah Attorney General Office 13 Travis Gallagher, Videographer 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726486
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183 1 INDEX 2 Examination Page 3 4 VOLUME 2 (Pages 180 - 333) 5 Direct By Mr. Scarola 184 6 Certificate of Oath 330 Certificate of Reporter 331 7 Read and Sign Letter to Witness 332 Errata Sheet (forwarded upon execution) 333 8 PLAINTIFF EXHIBITS 9 No. Page 10 1 Television Interview Transcript 193 11 2 Except from Deposition of Alan M. 193 12 Dershowitz 13 3 Photograph - 8x10 - Color 194 14 4 Photograph - 8x10 - Color 197 15 5 Flight Log Information Sheet 198 16 6 Composite - Flight logs 240 17 7 Composite - Flight manuals 240 18 8 Photograph - 8x10 - Color 305 19 9 Composite - Calendar entries 306 20 10 Composite - Calendar entries 307 21 11 Composite - Calendar entries 307 22 12 Composite - Calendar entries 307 23 24 25 www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726487
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184 1 VIDEOGRAPHER: Going on the record. This 2 is day two of Alan Dershowitz's deposition. 3 The date is October 16, 2015, and the time is 4 approximately 9:18 a.m. 5 MR. SCAROLA: Would you please reswear the 6 witness. 7 THE COURT REPORTER: Would you raise your 8 right hand, please? 9 Do you swear or affirm that the testimony 10 you are about to give will be the truth, the 11 whole truth, and nothing but the truth? 12 THE WITNESS: Yes. 13 Thereupon: 14 ALAN M. DERSHOWITZ 15 having been first duly sworn, was examined and 16 testified as follows: 17 DIRECT EXAMINATION 18 BY MR. SCAROLA: 19 Q. Mr. Dershowitz, what is rhetorical 20 hyperbole? 21 A. Rhetorical means verbal and hyperbole 22 means exaggeration. 23 Q. Something other than the truth, correct? 24 A. Truth -- 25 MR. SCOTT: Objection, form, relevancy. www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726488
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185 1 A. Truth has many, many meanings and is a 2 continuum. The Supreme Court has held that 3 rhetorical hyperbole cannot be the basis, for 4 example, of perjury prosecutions or generally of a 5 defamation prosecution. 6 So it depends on the context. You might 7 just look at the dictionary and probably get a 8 variety of definitions for it. 9 BY MR. SCAROLA: 10 Q. Well, what I'm concerned about, 11 Mr. Dershowitz, is not a dictionary definition. I 12 want to know what your understanding of rhetorical 13 hyperbole is. 14 And do you agree that pursuant to your 15 understanding of rhetorical hyperbole, it is an 16 exaggeration beyond the facts? 17 MR. SCOTT: Objection, argumentative and 18 compound, three questions. 19 A. No -- 20 MR. SCOTT: You can answer. 21 A. -- I would not agree with that definition. 22 BY MR. SCAROLA: 23 Q. Okay. Then define it for us, if you 24 would, please. 25 A. I think I have already. www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726489
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186 1 Q. I'm sorry, I missed the definition. Could 2 you tell us what rhetorical hyperbole is? 3 MR. SCOTT: Objection, repetitious. He's 4 done it. 5 A. Why don't we just read back my answer. 6 BY MR. SCAROLA: 7 Q. Because I didn't understand it, so I would 8 like you to try to give us a direct response to that 9 question if you're able to. 10 A. I will repeat exactly what I said. A 11 rhetorical means verbal and hyperbole means some 12 exaggeration of the facts for political or other 13 reasons, but generally it is truthful in a literal 14 sense but perhaps -- it all depends on context. 15 And if you tell me the context in which I 16 used it, I will be happy to describe what I meant in 17 that context. But I don't think you can really 18 answer a question about what two words put together 19 mean without understanding the context. 20 Q. Okay. Well, we're going to talk about 21 some context. 22 Do you recall having been interviewed on 23 on 24 A. I have no current recollection of -- 25 MR. SCOTT: Do you have a copy of the www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726490
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187 1 transcript of the interview? We'd like to see 2 it. 3 MR. SCAROLA: That's exactly what I gave 4 you, the photocopy. 5 MR. SCOTT: We're doing it right now. 6 Maybe we can move on and come back then. 7 MR. SCAROLA: No, I would like to proceed. 8 MR. SCOTT: Then let's stop until I get a 9 copy of it. Because he -- I want -- 10 MR. SCAROLA: I don't think that's 11 necessary because your client has told us that 12 he has a superb memory and one of the things I 13 would like to know is what he's able to recall. 14 If he needs to refresh his memory, the 15 transcripts will be here in just a moment, but 16 I don't want to delay going forward. 17 MR. SCOTT: Do you need the transcript to 18 refresh your memory? 19 THE WITNESS: Well, I have no memory of 20 what specifically I said on a particular day in 21 a particular interview. 22 MR. SCOTT: Since you have a copy in front 23 of him, why don't you just show him your copy 24 then? Read the -- ask your question and let 25 him read it. www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726491
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188 1 BY MR. SCAROLA: 2 Q. Do you recall having been interviewed on 3 by 4 A. Yes, I do. 5 Q. Do you recall having been interviewed on 6 by in early 7 where you spoke about matters that have become the 8 subject of this litigation? 9 A. Yes, I do. 10 Q. Did you make the following statement 11 during the course of that interview: "As to the 12 airplanes, there are manifests that will prove 13 beyond any doubt that I was never on a private 14 airplane with this woman or any other underage 15 girl"? 16 MR. SCOTT: You need to see the 17 transcript? 18 THE WITNESS: No. No. 19 A. That is a truthful statement. I would 20 repeat it right now. I've reviewed the manifests. 21 First, I know I was never on the airplane 22 with any underage woman. I know that for a fact. I 23 have absolutely no doubt in my mind about that. And 24 the records that I have reviewed confirm that. 25 They have on a number of www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726492
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189 1 airplane flights with Jeffrey Epstein. They have me 2 on a number of flights, none -- let me emphasize, 3 none within the relevant time period, none within 4 the relevant time period. That is, there are no 5 manifests that have me on Jeffrey Epstein's airplane 6 during the time that claims to 7 have -- falsely claims to have had sex with me. 8 So, yes, not only recall making that 9 statement, but I repeat it here today. And it is 10 absolutely true. And it just confirms what I know, 11 and that is that made up the entire 12 story. 13 BY MR. SCAROLA: 14 Q. Your statement -- 15 MR. SCOTT: What page are you reading 16 from? 17 MR. SCAROLA: Page 5. 18 Q. Your statement was that you were never on 19 a private airplane with this woman, which I assume 20 was a reference to , correct? 21 A. It is, yes. 22 Q. Or any other underage girl? 23 A. That's right. 24 Q. All right. How many times -- 25 A. Well, let me be very clear. I have no www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726493
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190 1 idea who was in the front cabin of the airplane with 2 the pilots. Obviously what I intended to say and 3 what I say here now is I never saw an underaged 4 person on an airplane. 5 Now, when I -- when I flew with Jeffrey 6 Epstein to the launch, my recollection is that there 7 may have been a couple on the plane with their child 8 who was going to see the launch. But that was 9 certainly not the context in which I made the 10 statement. 11 I never saw any underage, young person who 12 would be the subject or object of any improper 13 sexual activities. Had I seen Jeffrey Epstein ever 14 in the presence of an underage woman in a context 15 that suggested sexuality, I would have, A, left the 16 scene; B, reported it; and, C, never had any further 17 contact with Jeffrey Epstein. 18 Q. You have also made the statement that you 19 were never on a private airplane with any underage 20 women or any young women, correct? 21 A. The context was underage women in a sexual 22 context. If it was a -- you know, a four-year-old 23 child being carried by her mother, that would not be 24 included in what I intended to say. 25 Q. Your sworn testimony yesterday, according www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726494
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191 1 to the transcription, the official transcription of 2 that testimony, was that, quote: 3 "Let me emphasize that the manifests that 4 do exculpate me do not show me flying with , they do not show me flying with any young 6 women." 7 That was the testimony you gave under 8 oath. Do you stand by that testimony today? 9 A. The manifests that I saw corroborate my 10 own memory -- my own memory is as clear as could 11 be -- that I never saw any inappropriately aged, 12 underaged women on any airplane to my knowledge that 13 were visible to me at any time that I flew. That is 14 my testimony, yes. 15 Q. Well, that's not a response to the 16 question that I asked. Is it your testimony today 17 that you never flew on a private airplane with, 18 quote, "any young women"? 19 MR. SCOTT: Objection, form. 20 A. By young women, I obviously meant in that 21 context underage women. And underage women in the 22 context of sexuality. And, yes, I I stand by 23 that statement. 24 BY MR. SCAROLA: 25 Q. All right. So your your clarification www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726495
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192 1 of your earlier testimony is that you never saw any 2 young women in a sexual context? 3 A. That's not clarification. I think that's 4 what I initially said. That's what I initially 5 intended. And that's the way any reasonable -- any 6 reasonable person would interpret what my original 7 testimony was. So I don't believe my original 8 testimony required any clarification. 9 Q. So what you meant to convey by the 10 statement that you made when you said you never flew 11 with any underage girl or any young women was you 12 never flew with any underage girl or young women in 13 a sexual context? 14 MR. SCOTT: Objection, form. 15 BY MR. SCAROLA: 16 Q. Is that correct? 17 A. Let me simply repeat the fact and that is, 18 to my knowledge, I never flew on an airplane or was 19 ever in the presence on an airplane with any 20 underage woman who would be somebody who might be in 21 a sexual context. I say that only to eliminate the 22 possibility that some four-year-old was on the lap 23 of a mother or somebody was on the airplane with 24 family members. 25 But, no, I do not recall -- and I'm very www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726496
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193 1 firm about this -- being on an airplane with anybody 2 who I believed could be the subject of Jeffrey 3 Epstein or anyone else's improper sexual activities. 4 MR. SCAROLA: All right. Let's mark the 5 transcript that we've been referring to as 6 Exhibit Number 1, please. That's the 7 transcript of the television interviews that 8 we'll be discussing. 9 (Thereupon, marked as Plaintiff Exhibit 10 1.) 11 MR. SCOTT: This is actually 2, right? We 12 had one yesterday, an article from the British 13 newspaper? 14 MR. SCAROLA: No. It was not marked as an 15 exhibit. This is the first exhibit that's been 16 marked. 17 MR. SCOTT: No, I know that, but I thought 18 we were going to mark that one. Maybe I was -- 19 I asked for that. Okay. 20 It was an answer and counterclaim about 21 the allegation shown to the witness. 22 MR. SCAROLA: And Exhibit Number 2 will be 23 the transcript from yesterday's proceedings 24 that I have just referenced. 25 (Thereupon, marked as Plaintiff www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726497
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194 1 Exhibit 2.) 2 MR. SCOTT: You don't have a copy of that, 3 do you, of the transcript? 4 MR. SCAROLA: No. Got sent to you. I 5 assume you have it. 6 BY MR. SCAROLA: 7 Q. I'm going to hand you what we'll now mark 8 as Exhibit Number 3. 9 (Thereupon, marked as Plaintiff 10 Exhibit 3.) 11 MR. SCOTT: There's no question. 12 MR. SWEDER: Yes. 13 BY MR. SCAROLA: 14 Q. Do you recognize that young woman, 15 Mr. Dershowitz? 16 A. No. 17 Q. Never saw her? 18 A. Not that I know of. 19 Q. Never flew on an private airplane with 20 her? 21 A. Not that I know of. 22 Q. Do you recognize the name 23 A. I do recall that Jeffrey Epstein had a 24 friend named 25 Q. That you flew with? www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726498
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195 1 A. I don't remember that I flew with her or 2 not. I may have. But I don't recall necessarily. 3 But I did meet I remember meeting a woman named 4 . This does not look like , like the 5 woman I met. 6 Q. Okay. So that's a -- that's a different 7 8 A. No, I don't know. 9 MR. SCOTT: Objection, form, 10 argumentative. 11 A. I have no idea. I do not recognize this 12 woman. She's not familiar to me at all. 13 I can tell you this: Without any doubt, I 14 never met anybody dressed like this on any airplane 15 or in the presence of Jeffrey Epstein or in any 16 context -- 17 BY MR. SCAROLA: 18 Q. Did she have 19 A. -- related to this case. 20 Q. -- more clothes on or less clothes on when 21 you met her? 22 MR. SCOTT: Objection, form. He said he 23 never met her. Misrepresent -- 24 BY MR. SCAROLA: 25 Q. When you met the woman that you're www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726499
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196 1 referencing, did she have more clothes on or less 2 clothes on than that woman? 3 A. Every woman that I met in the presence of 4 Jeffrey Epstein was properly dressed, usually in 5 suits and dresses and -- and appropriately covered 6 up. I never met any women in the context of Jeffrey 7 Epstein who were dressed anything like this. 8 Q. Would you agree that that is a young woman 9 in that photograph? 10 A. I have no idea what her age is. 11 Q. So you don't know whether she was underage 12 or overage or a young woman or not a young woman? 13 A. I don't -- 14 MR. SCOTT: Objection, form. 15 A. -- know this woman, so I have no idea how 16 old a woman in a picture is. She could be -- she 17 could be 30. She could be 25. I have no idea. 18 BY MR. SCAROLA: 19 Q. Or she could be 15 or 16? 20 A. I don't think so. 21 Q. But you don't know? 22 A. This doesn't -- well, I don't know how old 23 you are. This does not strike me 24 Q. Old enough to know that 25 MR. SCOTT: You're cutting -- www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726500
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197 1 BY MR. SCAROLA: 2 Q. -- that's a young woman. 3 MR. SCOTT: Objection. You're cutting the 4 witness off. You're not letting him finish. 5 A. This looks like a picture out of a Playboy 6 or Penthouse magazine. It does not look to me like 7 a person who is under the age of 16 or 17 or 18. 8 But I don't think you can tell anything from the 9 picture. I think you can tell much more from 10 meeting somebody and being with them and having a 11 conversation with them. 12 MR. SCAROLA: Let's mark this photograph, 13 if we could, as Exhibit Number 4. 14 (Thereupon, marked as Plaintiff 15 Exhibit 4.) 16 BY MR. SCAROLA: 17 Q. Does Exhibit Number 4 help you at all to 18 recognize this young woman? 19 A. I've never -- I have no -- no recollection 20 of this young woman at all. 21 Q. All right. Would you describe for us, 22 please, the that you flew with Jeffrey 23 Epstein on November 17, 2005? 24 A. First, I want to emphasize that that's 25 three years later than any of the issues involved in www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726501
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198 1 this case. I have no recollection of flying with 2 this woman. I saw the name on a manifest. 3 And my recollection of -- I have 4 no recollection of flying with her, but my 5 recollection of is that she was a serious, 6 mid 20s woman friend of Jeffrey Epstein, who I may 7 have met on one or two or three occasions when he 8 was with her in -- perhaps at Harvard University 9 where he was meeting with academics and scholars, or 10 perhaps -- I think that's probably the context 11 where -- where she might have been. 12 Q. But you never flew with her? 13 A. I have no recollection of flying with her. 14 Q. Okay. Well, let me see if this helps to 15 refresh your recollection, Mr. Dershowitz. 16 MR. SCAROLA: Let's mark this as Exhibit 17 Number 5, please. 18 THE WITNESS: Uh-huh, yes. 19 (Thereupon, marked as Plaintiff 20 Exhibit 5.) 21 BY MR. SCAROLA: 22 Q. Do you see that the name of the woman in 23 the photographs I have handed you is 24 a model? 25 The photographs, sir, look at the www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726502
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199 1 photographs. The photographs identify the woman as 2 , correct? 3 A. Yes, but -- 4 MR. SCOTT: Mr. Dershowitz, take your 5 time -- 6 THE WITNESS: Yeah. 7 MR. SCOTT: -- review the exhibits. Don't 8 be rushed by Mr. Scarola. 9 A. Yes, it's a different different 10 spelling of the name. The on the manifest 11 is spelled 12 The in the photograph is 13 . I have no idea whether -- 14 BY MR. SCAROLA: 15 Q. The last name -- 16 A. they are the same person. 17 Q. is the same, , right? 18 A. There's no last name. 19 Q. Well, read down a little bit further, if 20 you would, Mr. Dershowitz. 21 A. You mean as to a different flight? 22 Q. Yes, sir. Identifying the return flight 23 for the same 24 A. I have no idea that it's a return flight. 25 I have nothing on the record that suggests that it's www.phi sre orting.com EFTA02726503
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