The judge orders the release of more than 150 names of people mentioned in Jeffrey Epstein's court documents
NEW YORK — A federal judge has ordered the disclosure of the identities of more than 150 people named in a mountain of court documents related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. He said most of the names were already public and many had not objected to the release. .
The people whose names must be released, including sex abuse victims, trial witnesses, Epstein associates — and even some people with only a passing connection to the scandal — have until January 1 to appeal the order, which was signed Monday by Judge Loretta A. Preska.
Preska spent years reviewing documents requested by the Miami Herald in a civil case brought by one of Epstein's victims that was ultimately settled.
Many of the documents related to that lawsuit have been publicly released in recent years, but on Monday the judge made decisions about some parts of the documents that were initially withheld for possible privacy reasons and about what can be made public about certain people mentioned in the documents are called.
In many cases, she noted that individuals had given media interviews or their names had previously emerged publicly in various ways, including during a trial two years ago against Epstein's associate and former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Preska concluded that some parts of the data should remain confidential, including data identifying people who were children when they were sexually abused by Epstein and had tried to maintain their privacy.
The Epstein case has spawned numerous conspiracy theories about the possible involvement of rich and powerful people in sex trafficking.
However, the three criminal cases brought by federal and state authorities focused on allegations of sexual abuse by Epstein himself and Maxwell.
Epstein took his own life in a federal prison in Manhattan in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He was accused of luring numerous underage girls to his homes under the guise of massages and then sexually assaulting them.
Maxwell, 61, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in December 2021 of helping Epstein recruit and sexually abuse underage girls.