“The public interest must still be served in learning more about the scale and scope of Epstein’s racket to further the important goal of shutting down sex trafficking wherever it exists and holding more to account,” she said in a statement. “The unsealing of these documents gets us closer to that goal.”
One document was a deposition of Maxwell, denying allegations about some of Epstein’s associates. Another was a subpoena to Jean-Luc Brunel, a fashion agent who died by suicide in 2022 after he was charged with rape and sexual harassment in France.
It’s unclear how much new information will be gleaned from the documents. Many of the people whose names will be unsealed are already known to have associated with Epstein, a fact Preska noted. Some have been named in similar litigation as well. Giuffre also sued Prince Andrew, who reached a settlement with her in 2022.
Preska said other names were disclosed during Maxwell’s criminal trial, at which a number of former Epstein employees appeared as witnesses. The financier’s former private pilot testified that a number of famous individuals flew on the plane, including Clinton and former US president Donald Trump. Eva Andersson-Dubin, an ex-girlfriend of Epstein who is now married to former hedge fund manager Glenn Dubin, testified for the defence at Maxwell’s trial.
Giuffre’s suit accused the Maxwell of recruiting her at the age of 16 for sexual abuse by Epstein. After Maxwell called her a liar, Giuffre also sued for defamation.
The two reached a settlement in 2017, but the Miami Herald asked the judge to unseal material filed during the case. Various objections from both Maxwell and people whose names appeared in the documents delayed the process, even as names became public through other means.
One of the unsealed documents contained emails between Maxwell and Giuffre’s lawyers at Boies Schiller.
Preska kept the names of several Epstein victims sealed, saying their interest in privacy outweighed the public’s interest in transparency. But she released the names of some victims who didn’t object to unsealing and have already identified themselves in media interviews.
Giuffre, who now lives in Australia, has been one of the most outspoken Epstein victims, drawing attention to high-profile individuals who were in Epstein’s orbit. In her suit against Andrew, she claimed he was one of several powerful men to whom Epstein “lent” her for abuse. The royal family later stripped King Charles’ younger brother of his honorific titles and royal patronages.
Epstein was charged with sex trafficking in July 2019 but died by suicide in a Manhattan prison cell before he could stand trial. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for sex-trafficking.
While Epstein has been dead for almost four years, his crimes have continued to resonate across Wall Street.
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JPMorgan Chase & Co. last year agreed to pay $US365 million ($542 million) to settle two lawsuits it financially benefited from his sex trafficking and failed to act on red flags. Both cases focused on Epstein’s close friendship with Staley, who previously headed private banking for JPMorgan.
Bloomberg