Chloe Atkins reports for the NBC News National Security and Law Unit, based in New York.
A group of Epstein survivors filed a class action lawsuit against the Trump administration and Google on Thursday over the disclosure of personal information found in the release of files related to the late sex offender over the past several months.
“The United States, acting through the DOJ, made a deliberate policy choice to prioritize rapid, large-volume disclosure over protection of Epstein survivors’ privacy,” the plaintiffs said, adding that the Justice Department “outed approximately 100 survivors of the convicted sexual predator, publishing their private information and identifying them to the world.” While the government later withdrew survivors’ personal information from the publicly released files, the survivors said that “online entities like Google continuously republish it, refusing victims’ pleas to take it down.” Specifically, the plaintiffs said their personal information continues to be displayed in search results and AI-generated content. “Survivors now face renewed trauma. Strangers call them, email them, threaten their physical safety, and accuse them of conspiring with Epstein when they are, in reality, 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 in the Southern District of New York, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said the Justice Department was 'in the process' of removing documents that included 'victim-identifying information.' “The Department has worked all hours through the weekend from the point when the first victim-related concerns were raised,” the letter said. “The Department now has taken down several thousands of documents and media that may have inadvertently included victim-identifying information due to various factors, including technical or human error.” The letter added that the Justice Department was 'continuously evaluating its processes and making further enhancements as necessary' to address victims’ concerns while complying with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. President Donald Trump signed that measure into law in November. The Justice Department had made assurances that it would protect the survivors' privacy in the release. The plaintiffs are seeking minimum damages of $1,000 per survivor from the Justice Department and punitive damages “in amounts 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. The survivors said Google has the technological capability to remove content in response to legal requests about sensitive personal information. “Google’s refusal to use such tools in this case shows its conduct is reckless,” in “disregard for the wellbeing of Plaintiff and other victims, and willful,” the lawsuit says. Survivors have notified Google about the 'unlawful disclosure' multiple times in February and March, the complaint says, adding that the content remains viewable on Google. The survivors said the Justice Department has violated the Privacy Act of 1974 by disclosing survivors’ information without consent. The plaintiffs also brought civil claims against Google over violations of California’s unfair competition law, invasion of privacy and negligent infliction of emotional distress, as well as violations of California civil code that targets doxxing. 'No survivor of sexual abuse should have to live in fear that a stranger can type their name into a search bar and instantly find out about their worst trauma. Yet that’s exactly what happened here,' Julie Erickson, one of the plaintiff attorneys, said in a statement Thursday. 'The DOJ opened the door by unlawfully disclosing victim-identifying information, and Google is holding that door wide open, even after being warned about the damage it’s causing.'
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