Judge Halts Hearing After Deal Protects Epstein Victims’ Identities
US District Judge Richard M. Berman announced on Tuesday that attorneys representing Epstein survivors and government lawyers had settled outstanding privacy issues. The resolution came after what victims’ lawyer Brittany Henderson characterized as “extensive and constructive discussions.”
“We trust that the deficiencies will be corrected expeditiously and in a manner that protects victims from further harm,” Henderson said in a letter submitted to the court.
Judge Berman said he was “pleased but not surprised” by the outcome and subsequently canceled a public hearing that had been scheduled for Wednesday at a federal courthouse in Manhattan.
The dispute arose after authorities released more than three million files connected to Epstein last week. Lawyers for survivors said the disclosure included thousands of records that revealed sensitive personal information, such as names, images, email addresses, and financial details.
In a court filing submitted on Monday, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York said the Justice Department had withdrawn “several thousand documents and media” due to “technical or human error” and had updated its procedures for redacting sensitive material, according to court records.
Victims described the impact of the disclosures as severe. One survivor told the court that the release was “life-threatening,” while another said she received death threats after her banking information became publicly accessible.
The documents are tied to federal sex trafficking investigations involving Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while in custody awaiting trial, as well as Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in New York in 2021.
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