Virginia Giuffre, a victim of Jeffrey E. Epstein who for years maintained that the law professor Alan Dershowitz sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager, settled a defamation lawsuit against Mr. Dershowitz on Tuesday, and said that she may have made a mistake in accusing him.

In a joint statement announcing the settlement, Ms. Giuffre said that while she had long believed she was trafficked to Mr. Dershowitz by Mr. Epstein, she was young at the time and was in a stressful and traumatic environment. She noted that Mr. Dershowitz had denied the allegations consistently and said that she recognized she may have made a mistake. The joint statement also included comments from Mr. Dershowitz, who commended Ms. Giuffre for her courage in saying she may have been mistaken.

The joint statement was obtained by The New York Times and a lawyer for Mr. Dershowitz confirmed its authenticity. A lawyer for Ms. Giuffre would not comment on the statement, but confirmed that the settlement had been reached. A document confirming that the parties had agreed to dismiss the case was filed in federal court Tuesday afternoon.