Billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates has said her ex-husband, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, being named in new files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein dredged up “painful times in my marriage”.

She told an NPR podcast she feels “unbelievable sadness” about the Epstein allegations and that the people named in the records, including her former husband, need to answer to it.

“I am so happy to be away from all the muck,” she said. The couple divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage.

Records released by the US justice department include an allegation by Epstein that Bill Gates caught a sexually transmitted disease. He has called the claim “absolutely absurd”.

  • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    No an NDA can’t cover withholding information about a crime. Asking someone to not divulge information under an NDA pertaining to a crime, is in itself a crime/an unenforceable nda

    • JChildermass@lemmy.ca
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      21 hours ago

      The emails don’t seem to allege any crimes by Bill Gates, there’s nothing about the island etc., it just seems to be alluding to an affair with a Russian woman which already came out a couple years ago, that Epstein knew about and was trying to blackmail Gates about. Unethical but not actually criminal activity on Gates’ part. Possible that could be covered by an NDA since it wasn’t publicly known yet when they split.

    • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      2 days ago

      If the NDA used generic language, ie: spouse is barred from sharing any private conversations or information shared within the marriage, it may be covered … but IANAL so …

      • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        How do you see that playing out?

        Subject A says, “Ron told me he committed a crime”

        Subject B says “I’m suing you for divulging information that should be covered by the NDA”

        It would be admitting that the statement occurred. Thus now the entire NDA is void, and those court records can be used as testimony in a criminal investigation.

        • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.worksOP
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          2 days ago

          Do you actually think Billy Boy sat her down and confessed to fucking teenagers???

          Jfc buddy. Use your brain. If anything he had to tell her he caught an STD so she would have to go have it taken care of. For most women that would be the last straw … marriage done.