Epstein Survivors Sue DOJ and Google Over Unredacted Files Release

A group of nearly 100 survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse has filed a federal class‑action lawsuit in California against the Trump administration and Google, alleging the Justice Department’s mass release of Epstein records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act illegally exposed their personal information and that Google continues to disseminate it. The complaint says that when DOJ published more than 3 million pages of Epstein‑related materials in late 2025 and early 2026, it failed to properly redact survivors’ names, phone numbers, images and birthdates, and then merely removed some files after the fact while copies spread across the internet. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has said DOJ reviewed about 6 million pages and withheld roughly half, but plaintiffs argue the department knowingly prioritized speed and volume — a "release now, retract later" approach — over victim privacy protections required by federal law. The suit contends that survivors now endure renewed trauma, harassment and threats from strangers who contacted them after the disclosures, and it seeks at least $1,000 per class member from the government plus unspecified damages from Google for allegedly ignoring takedown requests. The case raises sharp questions about how far congressional transparency mandates can go before they collide with victims’ privacy rights, and about the responsibility of major platforms to remove sensitive data once the original government source has pulled it down.