Judge Cancels Hearing Following Agreement to Protect Epstein Victims' Identities
A federal judge presiding over the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case has called off a scheduled hearing after lawyers for the financier's victims reached a crucial agreement with the Justice Department to safeguard their identities in a massive document release.
Deal Struck After Privacy Breach Concerns
Judge Richard M. Berman in Manhattan cancelled Wednesday's conference after being notified by Florida attorney Brittany Henderson that "extensive and constructive discussions" with government lawyers had resulted in an agreement to protect the identities of nearly 100 women whose lives were allegedly harmed by the document release.
The hearing had been scheduled to address harm caused to Epstein's victims after the government began releasing millions of documents last week. Henderson and attorney Brad Edwards had complained to Berman in a Sunday letter that "immediate judicial intervention" was needed following thousands of instances where the government failed to properly redact names and other personally identifying information of women sexually abused by Epstein.
Victims Report Serious Consequences
Among eight women whose comments were included in the lawyers' Sunday letter, one described the records' release as "life threatening" while another reported receiving death threats and being forced to shut down credit cards and banking accounts after their security was compromised.
The lawyers had initially requested that the Justice Department website be temporarily shut down and that an independent monitor be appointed to ensure no further errors occurred. Henderson did not disclose specific details of what government lawyers promised to ensure identities would be protected moving forward or the exact terms of the agreement.
Justice Department Acknowledges Errors
On Monday, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in Manhattan wrote in a letter filed in Manhattan federal court that errors blamed on "technical or human error" occurred during the document release process. He stated the Justice Department had improved its protocols to protect victims and had taken down nearly all materials identified by victims or their lawyers, along with many more that the government had discovered independently.
The mistakes in what represents the largest release of Epstein documents to date included nude photos showing the faces of potential victims as well as names, email addresses and other identifying information that was either unredacted or not fully obscured.
Judge Expresses Satisfaction with Resolution
Judge Berman wrote in an order cancelling the Wednesday public hearing that he was "pleased but not surprised that the parties were able to resolve the privacy issues." Henderson echoed this sentiment in her communication to the judge, writing: "We trust that the deficiencies will be corrected expeditiously and in a manner that protects victims from further harm."
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the agreement.
Background of the Epstein Case
Most of the released materials stem from sex trafficking investigations of Jeffrey Epstein and his former girlfriend, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in December 2021 at a New York trial.
Epstein took his own life in a federal jail in New York in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The document release represents a significant development in the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding his extensive network of abuse.
