When the House Oversight Committee put out a large batch of Jeffrey Epstein documents earlier this month, many alleged victims were terrified. The files included dozens of real names without any protection. Lawyers for the victims told a federal judge that the women felt shock and fear as soon as they saw their identities exposed.
One woman told her lawyers that she thought the government had promised to hide their names. She said she could not understand why it was happening again. Another woman said the government’s mistake was impossible to understand and that survivors should never be treated this way. A third woman said she could not sleep or think properly after seeing the release.
The Justice Department now has a deadline of December 19 to release hundreds of thousands of Epstein-related documents. This deadline comes from the new Epstein Files Transparency Act. Because of everything that happened with the recent unredacted release, the victims’ attorneys are now asking a judge to force the Justice Department to use a better review system. They want to make sure no more private information gets leaked.
The attorneys told the judge that these women are not pieces in a political game. They said the women are mothers, wives and daughters. They said they were abused by Epstein and sometimes by others, and that the government has failed to protect them many times before. They asked the court to make sure the victims are treated with dignity.
According to the attorneys, the House Oversight release included names and personal details of many victims. Some of them were minors at the time of the abuse. One document alone listed 28 names with no redaction. Because of this, the attorneys said the Justice Department either does not know who all the victims are or is failing to protect them on purpose.
The attorneys said this cannot continue. They pointed out that the DOJ has already admitted that Epstein harmed more than 1000 victims. They asked the judge to confirm whether the DOJ even tried to hide all those names before sending files to Congress. They wrote that the government’s process made no sense and that their explanations were likely to be confusing or misleading.
The lawyers also said that victims have been trying to contact the DOJ to prevent another harmful release. They said the victims have not been able to reach anyone who can help. They described the DOJ as the one group that keeps failing them.
The DOJ recently asked judges to allow the release of grand jury materials from the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases. Grand jury information is usually kept private. Before the new transparency law, judges had already rejected similar DOJ requests. The victims’ lawyers said these requests now feel like a distraction and that the DOJ should stop wasting time and focus on protecting the victims.
The attorneys asked the judge to order the DOJ to clearly explain which documents they plan to release and how they will keep victims safe in the process. They also asked for permission to talk directly with the DOJ to make sure every victim’s name is included in the redaction list.
Judge Richard Berman responded quickly. He ordered the DOJ to submit a complete explanation by noon on December 1. He told them to describe the files they want to release and the exact privacy steps they will use to protect victims.
In another filing, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said his office will talk with lawyers for known victims about how names will be hidden. He also listed the types of documents the DOJ plans to release, including interview notes, search warrant materials, financial records, travel logs, subpoena returns, school documents, items from the Epstein estate and other law enforcement files.
