The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
The first part of a trove of documents listing the names of more than 150 associates of Jeffrey Epstein will be released on Wednesday, according to a new filing.
The legal files are part of a long-running defamation lawsuit brought by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre against his former fixer and convicted child trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell in 2015.
Although the case was settled in 2017, Maxwell’s attorneys had fought for the names to continue to remain private. Their objection was lifted in 2022, a year after she was convicted and sentenced to two decades in prison.
In December, New York Judge Loretta Preska issued an order to unseal materials connected to the case.
The documents identify individuals whose names had been previously redacted. Those listed include “alleged victims, people not accused of wrongdoing…and absent third parties.”
The parties had until midnight on 1 January to object to the ruling, with only 10 people identified in the papers successfully arguing that their right to privacy as victims outweighs the public’s right to know their names.
In court documents filed on Wednesday evening, Judge Preska wrote that Jane Doe 107 had been granted until 22 January to submit support for “her assertion that unsealing would cause her physical harm.”
A request from Jane Doe 110 is being reviewed by the court.
“With the exception of the documents relating to these Does, the parties have informed the Court that they will begin filing the unsealed records outlined in this Court’s December 18 Order later today,” the filing read. “The Court will render its determination on the documents relating to Does 107 and 110 in due course.”
Being identified through the court documents does not necessarily mean that the individual was involved in or aware of any wrongdoing by Epstein.
This is a developing story … check again for updates.
