US court hearing canceled after deal to protect Epstein victims’ privacy
A federal judge in Manhattan canceled a scheduled hearing after the U.S. Justice Department and victims' lawyers reached a last-minute agreement to safeguard the identities of Jeffrey Epstein's survivors. The deal comes in response to a major privacy breach during last week's release of millions of case documents, which exposed victims' personal data.
A U.S. federal judge called off a public hearing planned for Wednesday after the Department of Justice and attorneys for victims of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein struck an agreement to address severe privacy failures in a recent document dump. The resolution, reached following what a victims' lawyer termed "extensive and constructive discussions," aims to prevent further harm to survivors.
The privacy breach and legal response
The urgent need for the agreement stemmed from last week's release of over 3 million files related to federal sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Victims' attorneys asserted that thousands of these documents improperly contained unredacted names, photographs, email addresses, and banking information. In a Monday court filing, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York acknowledged "technical or human error," stating the department had removed "several thousand documents and media" and revised its redaction procedures.
Impact on victims and judicial reaction
The privacy failures had devastating consequences for victims, according to court statements. One survivor described the disclosure as "life-threatening," while another reported receiving death threats after her financial details were made public. U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman, overseeing the matter in Manhattan federal court, said he was "pleased but not surprised" by the parties' resolution, leading him to cancel the scheduled public hearing. Victims' attorney Brittany Henderson expressed cautious optimism, stating, "We trust that the deficiencies will be corrected expeditiously and in a manner that protects victims from further harm."
Background of the case
The records originate from investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, and Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell was convicted in New York in 2021 for her role in Epstein's crimes and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. The massive document release and subsequent privacy mishap have added another layer of trauma for survivors seeking justice in the high-profile case.
Advertisement
Comments you share on our site are a valuable resource for other users. Please be respectful of different opinions and other users. Avoid using rude, aggressive, derogatory, or discriminatory language.