Monday, March 30, 2026 - Survivors of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have filed a
lawsuit against the U.S. government and Google after their identities were
mistakenly revealed in documents published online by the Justice Department.
The Department of Justice released more than three million
files in January related to its investigation into Epstein, including his
connections to high-profile figures. However, officials were forced to act
quickly after discovering that names of victims, who were meant to remain
anonymous, had not been properly redacted.
According to the lawsuit, the DOJ “outed approximately 100
survivors of the convicted sexual predator, publishing their private
information and identifying them to the world.”
The plaintiffs also allege that despite the government
acknowledging the error and removing the documents, the information continues
to circulate online. “Even after the government withdrew the information,
online entities like Google have continued to republish it, ignoring victims’
pleas to take it down,” they said.
The lawsuit further claims that Google still displays
victims’ personal information in search results and AI-generated content.
Reports also indicate that journalists reviewing the files
discovered dozens of explicit images that included identifiable faces.
Epstein, who was convicted in 2008 for soliciting sex from
minors, died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on additional
sex trafficking charges.
“Survivors now face renewed trauma. Strangers call them,
email them, threaten their safety, and accuse them of conspiring with Epstein
when they are, in reality, his victims,” the filing stated.
The plaintiffs argue that the U.S. government violated the
Privacy Act of 1974, while Google is accused of breaching California laws
related to invasion of privacy, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and
unlawful business practices.
0 Comments