A federal judge has ordered the documents relating to deceased convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his associates to be opened.
In a decision on Friday, Judge Loretta Preska ordered the release of several documents filed in a defamation case against Epstein’s former manager and lover Ghislaine Maxwell amid objections that would damage the reputations of individuals named in the documents.
Preska ruled that the public interest outweighed the privacy rights of the eight “John Does” named in the documents, referred to as Does 12, 28, 97, 107, 144, 147, 171 and 183.
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Cipriani Wall Street on March 15, 2005 in New York City.
(Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
One of eight people is Tom Pritzker, a billionaire executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels, who said releasing documents linking him to the controversial financier would cause respectable harm, according to Insider.
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Preska mostly disagreed with his concerns, saying that many of the documents were already available in other lawsuits and that their content did not specify harmful actions.
Doe 107 also objected, saying the release of documents linking them to Epstein was an invasion of their privacy.
Another person mentioned in the documents is Emmy Tayler, Ghislaine Maxwell’s former personal assistant, who is also accused of contributing to the sexual abuse of her victims.
Tayler, who is part of another lawsuit, opposed the release. He also denied any wrongdoing during his time working for Maxwell.
Judge Preska said much of the information in the patch of documents is publicly available from the other lawsuit, so he ordered its release.
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Judge Preska ordered the documents relating to Doe 183 to be made available as well, as they were “the subject of intense media coverage,” but intentionally delayed the release until Nov. 28 so that the individual had a chance to present appeal against its decision.
“In the court’s opinion, there is no reason to strike Doe 183 off the record,” he said, according to the Insider.
The judge also ordered the documents relating to Doe 147, which Epstein victim Sarah Ransome was named, to be opened.
Preska claimed Ransome was a victim of sexual abuse, but said she has previously testified publicly in another case. Ransome has also released a book further detailing her experiences. Also, you wrote a Washington Post op-ed with some relevant details.
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss speaks to the media at a news conference on July 2, 2020 in New York City.
(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The judge said some other information in the documents had already become available during Maxwell’s trial last year, which led to his 20-year sentence.
The judge did, however, keep some under seal, accepting “interest sufficient to preserve the seal.”
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Another individual, called Doe 12 in the documents, remained sealed as he was not a collaborator of the abuse or an Epstein or Maxwell victim, the judge said.
Judge Preska ordered that documents relating to Doe 28 remain sealed and that the individual is a “victim of sexual assault who continues to experience trauma as a result of these events.”
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Media organizations have called for the release of the documents, which come from a 2016 defamation case against Maxwell by accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre. The case was later settled.
Since the deal, collections of documents have been released regularly, starting in 2019, days after Epstein’s death.
