A federal judge is pressing the Justice Department to explain how it will protect the identities of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims after lawyers said that dozens of survivors’ names appeared unredacted in documents released by Congress, prompting what they described as “widespread panic.”
Judge Richard Berman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Wednesday night requested a detailed description of the materials the government intends to release and an explanation of how it will safeguard the privacy of victims, including through redactions. Berman, who oversaw the trafficking case against Epstein, attached a letter from attorneys Bradley Edwards and Brittany Henderson that calls for strict privacy protections in future releases.
The House Oversight Committee’s public release of more than 20,000 documents caused “widespread panic” among Epstein’s survivors, the lawyers wrote.
Edwards and Henderson, who represent hundreds of Epstein’s victims, urged the Justice Department to redact all victims’ names in any future materials sent to Congress or made public. They also asked for a private meeting with the DOJ to share a list of more than 300 victims they represent so that federal officials can protect against further disclosures.
The lawyers said dozens of victims’ names appeared unredacted in the cache of documents and emails from the Justice Department released this month, turning the release into a new source of concern for victims who had sought to maintain their anonymity.
“[T]ransparency CANNOT come at the expense of the privacy, safety, and protection of sexual abuse and sex trafficking victims, especially these survivors who have already suffered repeatedly,” the lawyers wrote.
According to the letter, some victims warned that releasing their names would put them in physical danger. Several told their lawyers that they had been approached on the street by reporters, including one who said she was confronted while standing with her nine-year old son, according to the letter.
The lawyers pointed to one document released by the Justice Department that they said listed the names of “at least 28 victims … including individuals who were minor children at the time of the abuse,” as well as women granted protection in the same legal jurisdiction “as a result of grave public safety concerns.”
“This type of negligence by the government to a survivor is just unable to comprehend,” one alleged victim wrote in a document included in the court filing. “I don’t understand how this is possible.”
“I have been unable to mentally and emotionally function or sleep,” said another.
A third questioned, “I thought the government had promised to redact our names and identifying material. I don’t understand how this is happening again.”
In their letter, Edwards and Henderson said some survivors fear the Justice Department “intentionally exposed their names” when it released thousands of unredacted files tied to Epstein’s case to Congress this year.
“These women now beg this Court and beg the United States Department of Justice to allow them to choose to remain protected,” the attorneys said.
While Epstein’s estate also failed to redact some names, the lawyers said they believed these to be “genuine mistakes.”
The lawyers also accused the DOJ of creating a “perpetual distraction” through the release of grand jury materials tied to Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, arguing that the documents provide little meaningful information and are being used as a diversion.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Berman presided over the government’s 2019 case against Epstein before the disgraced financier and sex offender died in jail while awaiting trial.
The letter from Edwards and Henderson comes after President Donald Trump signed a bill on Nov. 19 directing the DOJ to release its Epstein files. The president, who for months argued against passing the legislation, has continued to call the push to release the files part of a “hoax.”
Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all unclassified records tied to Epstein within 30 days, while withholding or redacting material that could jeopardize a federal investigation. It is still not known exactly when or how the files will ultimately be released.
Some victims have criticized the attempts to unseal the grand jury testimony, saying those attempts have disregarded victims’ repeated calls for privacy.
