Ghislaine Maxwell’s highly anticipated summer trial has been pushed to the fall of 2021 so her lawyers can prepare for additional charges relating to her alleged role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring. On Monday, Manhattan federal judge Alison Nathan granted the British socialite’s request to postpone her trial in light of a second superseding indictment, filed in late March, which added a fourth minor victim to her case. In the ruling, Nathan noted Maxwell would need to “re-evaluate her trial preparation and strategy” and said the heiress and her attorneys’ “preparation efforts to date have been and to some extent continue to be hampered by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Maxwell’s legal team had requested a continuance for fall 2021 or January 2022, while the government, which opposed any delays, asked for a March 2022 trial date should the court grant an adjournment.

“The Court deems an adjournment until fall 2021 to be reasonable,” Nathan ruled. “Such an adjournment would plainly give the defense team sufficient time to prepare for trial in light of the additional charges contained in the S2 indictment while also ensuring that the trial proceeds without undue delay. No additional delay is necessary or in the interests of justice.” As The Daily Beast reported, Maxwell has tried and failed to be released on bond four times and complained of her conditions within Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, where she mysteriously obtained a black eye. She is accused of grooming and trafficking four underage girls for Epstein from a period covering 1994 to 1997 and 2001 to 2004.