Epstein survivors are suing the Trump administration and Google over the release of classified information
A group of Epstein survivors filed a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration and Google on Thursday over the disclosure of personal information obtained in the release of files related to the deceased sex offender several months ago.
“The United States, in cooperation with the DOJ, has made a deliberate decision to prioritize immediate, massive disclosure to protect the privacy of Epstein survivors,” the plaintiffs said, adding that the Justice Department “has removed nearly 100 survivors of a convicted sex offender, published their private information and exposed them to the world.”
While the government later redacted the survivors’ personal information from publicly released files, survivors say “online organizations like Google continue to republish it, refusing victims’ requests to take it down.” Specifically, the plaintiffs said their personal information continues to be displayed in search results and content generated by AI.
“Survivors are now facing new trauma. Strangers are calling them, emailing them, threatening their physical safety, and accusing them of conspiring with Epstein when in fact they are Epstein’s victims,” the complaint reads.
The Justice Department and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday night.
In a Feb. 2 letter to Judges Richard Berman and Paul Engelmayer for the Southern District of New York, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said the Justice Department is “in the process” of releasing documents that include “victim-identifying information.”
“The department has been working around the clock all weekend since the first complaints about the victims were made,” the letter said. “The Department has now removed several thousand documents and media that may have inadvertently included victim-identifying information for a variety of reasons, including technical or human errors.”
The letter added that the Justice Department “continues to review its procedures and make other improvements as necessary” to address victims’ concerns while complying with the Epstein Files Privacy Act. President Donald Trump signed the measure into law in November. The Department of Justice has made sure that it will protect the privacy of those who survived the release.
The plaintiffs are seeking minimum damages of $1,000 for each survivor from the Justice Department and punitive damages “in an amount sufficient to punish and deter” Google.
The group also asked the court to order Google to immediately and permanently take down the survivors’ personal information.
Survivors say Google has the technical ability to remove content in response to legal requests for sensitive personal information.
“Google’s refusal to use such tools in this case demonstrates that its conduct was reckless,” “with a disregard for the well-being of the Plaintiff and other victims, and willfully so,” the lawsuit said.
The survivors notified Google of the “unlawful disclosure” multiple times in February and March, the complaint said, adding that the content remained visible on Google.
Survivors say the Justice Department violated the Privacy Act of 1974 by disclosing survivors’ information without consent. The plaintiffs also brought civil claims against Google for violations of California’s unfair competition law, invasion of privacy and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and violations of California’s civil code targeting doxxing.
“No survivor of sexual assault should have to live in fear that a stranger will type their name into a search bar and immediately find out about their worst trauma. Yet that is exactly what happened here,” said Julie Erickson, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, in a statement Thursday.
“The DOJ has opened the door to illegally disclosing personally identifiable information, and Google has opened the door all the way, even after being warned about the damage it’s doing.”
