Victims of sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein accuse the American justice system of accidentally revealing their identities in documents published online. They are also targeting Google, which they accuse of continuing to spread this information online.
Close to a hundred victims of sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein filed a lawsuit on Thursday, March 26, against the U.S. government and Google after their identities were mistakenly revealed in documents published online by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Department of Justice “revealed the identity of approximately 100 victims of the convicted sex predator, by publishing their private information and identifying them to the world,” states the complaint, seen by AFP, filed in a San Francisco court.
Dozens of photos with visible faces
“Even after the government acknowledged that this disclosure violated the rights of the victims and removed the information, online entities such as Google continue to republish it, refusing the victims’ requests to delete them,” the plaintiffs denounce.
Google continues to display the victims’ personal information in search results and in content generated by AI, the complaint notes. Journalists from The New York Times also found dozens of photos of naked individuals in these files, with their faces clearly visible.
A “new trauma” for the victims
“The victims are now faced with a new trauma. Strangers are calling them, sending them emails, jeopardizing their physical safety, and accusing them of being accomplices to Epstein when in reality, they were Epstein’s victims,” the complaint underscores.
Jeffrey Epstein was arrested and charged in July 2019 for the sexual exploitation of minors and conspiracy. He was found dead in his cell on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial. The autopsy concluded it was a suicide.
Previously accused in Florida over a decade ago of engaging with minor prostitutes, he was convicted in 2008 to a 13-month prison sentence as part of a secret agreement with a prosecutor to avoid federal charges.
