The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has taken down thousands of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after survivors said their identities were exposed due to serious redaction failures.
The controversial release, mandated by Congress, has sparked outrage among Epstein’s victims and their legal representatives, who say the disclosure has caused severe emotional distress and placed survivors in danger.
Victims Say Redaction Failures Exposed Private Information
Lawyers representing nearly 100 Epstein survivors revealed that documents published on Friday contained unredacted email addresses, banking details, and even nude photographs in which victims could be identified by name or face. According to survivors, the mistakes “turned their lives upside down” in a matter of hours.
In a joint statement, victims described the disclosure as “outrageous” and said they should not be “named, scrutinized, or retraumatized” after years of trauma linked to Epstein’s crimes.
Some survivors reported receiving death threats shortly after their private information became publicly accessible online.
DOJ Admits Errors, Removes Files
In a letter submitted to a federal judge in New York on Monday, the DOJ confirmed that it had removed all documents flagged by victims or their attorneys for further redaction.
“All documents requested by victims or counsel to be removed by yesterday evening have been removed for further redaction,” the department stated, adding that additional files were taken down after being independently identified as problematic.
The DOJ attributed the failures to “technical or human error” and said it continues to review new removal requests to ensure no other victims are exposed.
Lawyers Call Release an “Unfolding Emergency”
Brittany Henderson and Brad Edwards, two attorneys representing Epstein’s victims, asked a federal judge to order the immediate removal of the entire website hosting the files.
They described the release as “the single most egregious violation of victim privacy in one day in United States history,” warning that the DOJ’s failures created an unfolding emergency requiring urgent judicial intervention.
Survivors Speak Out
Epstein survivor Annie Farmer told the BBC that the DOJ’s actions overshadowed any public interest value of the documents.
“It’s hard to focus on the new information that has been brought to light because of how much damage the DOJ has done by exposing survivors in this way,” she said.
Another survivor, Lisa Phillips, accused the department of failing on multiple fronts.
“The DOJ has violated all three of our requirements,” she said. “They missed the deadline, failed to disclose many documents, and released survivors’ names.”
“We’re not going to stop fighting,” she added.
Gloria Allred: Names and Faces Still Visible
Prominent women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred confirmed that numerous victims were identifiable in the released materials, including individuals who had never spoken publicly.
“In some cases, names were crossed out but still readable,” Allred said. “In others, photos of survivors were published — people who never consented to being identified.”
DOJ Defends Process Amid Backlash
A DOJ spokesperson told CBS News that the department “takes victim protection very seriously” and has redacted thousands of names across millions of pages.
According to the department, approximately 0.1% of released pages contained unredacted identifying information, though critics argue that even a small percentage can cause irreversible harm.
Millions of Epstein Files Released Under New Law
The document release stems from legislation passed by both chambers of Congress, compelling the DOJ to publish all Epstein-related records while protecting victims’ identities.
So far, the DOJ has released:
- Over 3 million pages
- 180,000 images
- More than 2,000 videos
The most recent batch was published six weeks after the DOJ missed a statutory deadline signed into law by President Donald Trump amid bipartisan pressure.
Background: Epstein’s Death and Ongoing Fallout
Jeffrey Epstein died in a New York jail cell on 10 August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His death, ruled a suicide, did not end scrutiny into his crimes or the powerful individuals linked to his network.
The latest controversy raises fresh questions about how institutions handle sensitive evidence — and whether transparency can coexist with the protection of victims.
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