A group of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse has filed a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration and Google, alleging that the release of millions of documents related to Epstein’s criminal cases exposed their personal information to the public, causing renewed trauma and harassment.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in California, claims that the Department of Justice (DOJ) initially published the private information of approximately 100 survivors, including names, phone numbers, and images, before withdrawing the documents after acknowledging the violation of their privacy. However, the plaintiffs allege that online entities like Google continued to republish the information, refusing to remove it from search results and AI-generated content.
The survivors describe facing threats, harassment, and accusations of conspiring with Epstein, despite being his victims. The DOJ has stated that it is working to remove the victim-identifying information and is evaluating its processes to prevent future errors.
The lawsuit seeks at least $1,000 per class member from the government and unspecified damages from Google. Neither the DOJ nor Google has responded to requests for comment.
The documents were released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by President Trump, which required the DOJ to disclose all unclassified material related to its investigation into Epstein. The files included videos, court records, FBI and DOJ documents, emails, text messages, and news clippings, some of which mentioned prominent figures such as President Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and billionaires Elon Musk and Bill Gates.
The plaintiffs argue that the DOJ prioritized rapid disclosure over protecting survivors’ privacy, leading to the unintended public exposure of their personal information. They claim that Google’s continued republishing of the information has exacerbated their suffering.