A critical deadline for unsealing the names of nearly 200 of Jeffrey Epstein’s associates has passed; it could be days before the court records are made public, according to the legal team representing one of the accusers, Fox News reported. The court-ordered January 1st deadline for any John and Jane Does to appeal the unsealing of their names in the lawsuit against Epstein’s sex-trafficking accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell expired at midnight on Monday. The unsealing of documents is expected to include the names of former associates, friends, employees, accusers and potential accomplices.
A spokesperson for plaintiff Virginia Giuffre’s legal team said that although the unsealing was scheduled to begin Wednesday, documents could be delayed until next week, as he judge’s order did not contain specifics of the timing in the next step.
U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska issued a 51-page order last month giving anyone whose name was set to be released in connection with the 2015 lawsuit Giuffre, a prominent Epstein accuser, brought against Maxwell two weeks to appeal. “After which, counsel are asked to confer, prepare the documents for unsealing pursuant to this order, and post the documents on the docket,” Preska ordered.
Fox News reports that In a court filing Wednesday, Preska said two Does had reached out seeking to have their names remain sealed. One was Doe 110, identified in the Dec. 18 order as a person whose name and association with Epstein have already been widely publicized.
The second, identified as Doe 107, was not mentioned in the judge’s Dec. 18 order, but her attorney filed a request for a 30-day extension to raise arguments about why her identity should remain under seal.
The judge gave Jane Doe until Jan. 22 to submit an affidavit, and only documents pertaining to Doe 107 will be held until then, court officials told Fox News Digital. “With the exception of the documents relating to these Does, the parties have informed the Court that they will begin filing the unsealed records outlined in this Court’s December 18 Order later today,” Preska wrote. “The Court will render its determination on the documents relating to Does 107 and 110 in due course.”
Although many of the Does were not publicly named in the Giuffre v. Maxwell lawsuit, Preska ruled that their identities should be revealed because they have “widely publicized” ties to Epstein, and some have been named as co-defendants in lawsuits against the disgraced financier.