The attorneys for Ghislaine Maxwell and Virginia Giuffre appeared today to hash out a time frame with the court as it weighs unsealing more documents naming high-profile individuals connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.

The documents are part of Giuffre’s 2015 defamation suit against Maxwell, Epstein’s alleged madam and one-time girlfriend. Epstein, who was facing sex-trafficking charges, hung himself in his Manhattan jail cell in August.

Giuffre has long claimed that Maxwell recruited her into Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring where she was passed on to other high-profile men including Prince Andrew. The British royal has denied the claims.

Maxwell, who also denies the allegations, publicly denounced Giuffre as a liar, leading her to file a civil lawsuit.

The conference was held at 10am in Manhattan Federal Court before U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska and involved attorneys for Maxwell, Giuffre and ‘John Does 1 and 2’.

Neither Giuffre nor Maxwell appeared at the hearing and when asked about Maxwell's whereabouts the plaintiff’s lawyers admitted they still have no idea where she is hiding. Recent reports claim she is being hidden from the FBI in a series of safe houses.

Ghislaine Maxwell was last seen in this photo taken in Los Angeles last August after DailyMail.com revealed she had been living quietly in a secluded mansion in Manchester-by-the-Sea. Neither Maxwell nor Giuffre appeared at the hearing today and when asked about Maxwell's whereabouts the plaintiff’s lawyers admitted they still have no idea where she is

Epstein's shocking suicide comes just 24 hours after court documents from Virginia Roberts Giuffre (pictured) were unsealed. The documents are part of Giuffre’s 2015 defamation suit against Maxwell

Sigrid S. McCawley, the lawyer for Virginia Giuffre leaves Manhattan Federal after a hearing to release document concerning the Jeffery Epstein case

Judge Preska today urged the lawyers to streamline the review of documents and suggested that the motions be grouped into ‘batches of five’, meaning they would be released on a ‘rolling basis’.

The judge also asked for a plan on how ‘non-parties’, whose names are in the documents, would be notified and given the chance to respond.

The Judge said that Maxwell had written to the court on December 5, 2019, citing ‘various reasons for maintaining sealed materials’ with ‘privacy’ being a key concern.

Maxwell’s attorney, Laura Menninger, said that some of the ‘non-parties’ are ‘in positions of means with counsel’ but noted that some ‘live out of the country or in remote places… without counsel’ and so would need a fair chance to file their objections via letter, to which Judge Preska agreed.

The non-parties are to be notified in two weeks, Judge Preska said. Once the non-parties respond, Maxwell and Giuffre’s legal teams will be able to file their oppositions.

Sigrid McCawley, attorney for Giuffre, raised the issue that the next document dump of material would be reflect badly on her client as ‘Maxwell is not objecting to any items that could be negative to Virginia’.

Preska said that she no reason for documents to be withheld ‘to which there is no countervailing interest’ and said they should be released ‘ASAP’.

Following the court hearing, Menninger ignored a question on the whereabouts of Ghislaine Maxwell.

Virginia Roberts says this photograph shows her with Prince Andrew at Ghislaine Maxwell's flat (she is pictured in the background) in west London in early 2001

Outside court, Giuffre’s attorney, Sigrid McCawley, said: 'Virginia is very pleased that Judge Preska has embarked on this process to start finally releasing these documents that are critical to the public to be able to access the information.

'It's always been Virginia's goal to uncover the severity of the sexual trafficking scheme, and yesterday’s filing in the U.S. Virgin islands notes again that this was going on all over the world for many years with a young females ranging as young as 11 and into young adulthood.

'Her mission has been to expose that sex trafficking scheme and the work that we're doing here is an effort to make sure that that does not remain under seal anymore.

'We're hopeful that the documents are going to be released expeditiously.'

McCawley addressed the fact that Maxwell had not objected to documents being unsealed which are 'negative' to Virginia.

'In this process, we want it to be fair and equal and Virginia was always willing to have this be an open process, but she wanted it to be open on both sides.

'In other words, that all documents in the case would be revealed, not just piecemeal documents that Maxwell wanted to be released.'

There is no set date on when the next document dump will be, other than in the ‘near future’.

McCawley said the next step was that the non-parties would be notified in two weeks and ‘get a two-week period to file an objection if they so want’.

‘The Judge will be reviewing those, assessing what she is allowing Maxwell to do which is set forth countervailing interests.’

McCawley said that that 'might be where the battle lies' because Maxwell has set forth an extensive list of reasons why these documents should not be released.

‘We will argue against that,’ she added.

When asked by DailyMail.com if she had any information on Maxwell’s whereabouts, McCawley shook her head and said: ‘I don’t know.’

A girl who it is claimed is Virginia Roberts (circled) aged 17 at supermodel Naomi Campbell's 31st birthday party in St Tropez in 2001

Alongside pictures of a girl appearing to be Virginian Roberts, she tweeted alleging members of Jeffrey Epstein's social circle knew she was being abused

The British socialite vanished from public life around 2016. In August, DailyMail.com revealed that she had been living quietly in a secluded mansion in Manchester-by-the-Sea, close to Boston, with tech CEO Scott Borgerson.

On Monday, Preska ruled that a cache of previously unreleased documents relating to Epstein would not be released as part of the defamation dispute, saying that the documents were not ‘judicial’ and therefore did not have the presumption of public access, according to lawandcrime.com.

The Judge had allowed the release of more than 2,000 previously sealed documents in August.

Jeffrey Epstein's former 'sex slave' has shared photos of her standing next to Naomi Campbell and Ghislaine Maxwell in a tweet that claims: 'You watched me be abused'.

Virginia Roberts alleges she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times at the homes of his late friend Epstein, who she says trafficked her while she was underage over the course of years of abuse.

The 36-year-old tweeted a message today to the paedophile billionaire's social circle, alleging guests saw her at parties aged 17 and did not intervene to help.

Roberts, who now goes by her married name of Giuffre, wrote: 'You saw me at your parties, you saw me in Epstein's homes, you saw me on the plane, you saw me get my haircut, you saw me on the streets, you watched me be abused. You saw me! #Awareness #Justice #GhislaineMaxwell #JeffreyEpstein #NaomiCampbell #PrinceAndrew.'

Roberts appeared to be pictured beside supermodel Naomi Campbell at her 31st birthday party in St Tropez, France, in 2001.

Epstein is pictured with his associate and one-time girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell in 2005. Roberts alleged Maxwell was involved in trafficking girls for Epstein

Representatives for Campbell denied she was close friends with Epstein and told the Sun the disgraced financier was only invited to her birthday party by her then boyfriend, Italian businessman Flavio Briatore.

There is no evidence Campbell or her guests knew of Epstein's crimes or who Roberts was when she allegedly attended the event.

In the pictures from Campbell's party, a girl Roberts says was her can be seen wearing the same style white top and multicoloured trousers she wore in an infamous photo with Prince Andrew - said have been taken at Maxwell's west London flat in 2001.

The Duke of York claims the image may have been photoshopped to show his fingers placed on the teenager's waist.

The images linked to Roberts' tweet also appear to show Roberts standing near Ghislaine Maxwell, who Roberts claims procured young women for Epstein.

Epstein was found hanged in his Manhattan jail cell last August awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges.

He previously received an 18-month prison sentence in Florida in 2008 on charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

Despite the conviction, Prince Andrew continued to associate with Epstein and was pictured staying with him at his mansion in Manhattan in 2010.

Roberts sued Epstein in 2015 and claims she had sex with Prince Andrew three times, including once in London when she was 17, once in New York and another time at Epstein's private Caribbean island of Little St James.

Prince Andrew has 'emphatically' denied any relationship with the mother-of-three, who now lives in Cairns in Australia, 'in any form' and that he does not recall the 2001 pictured being taken.

In an interview with BBC Newsnight the Duke of York claimed he does not remember meeting Roberts.

He said he was at a Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey, the night he is accused of going to Tramp nightclub with the then-teenager.