Are we about to learn the names of more men associated with Jeffrey Epstein? Just a few… but they say sunlight is the best disinfectant, and this case needs as much as possible!
Federal judge Loretta A. Preska ruled on Friday afternoon as to whether the names of several people mentioned in legal documents relating to the infamous billionaire sex trafficker would be released to the public. Each one, who previously had been referred to publicly only as a numbered John Doe, was its own ruling, but Judge Preska certainly seemed intent on revealing as much as possible.
The argument from one Doe whose identity has already been revealed helps explain her reasoning. Billionaire heir Tom Pritzker, cousin of Illinois governor JB Pritzker and executive chairman of the Hyatt Hotels chain, fought the release of his name to the court, arguing it would “wrongfully harm (his) privacy and reputation.” Judge Preska decided the public interest outweighed the right to privacy in this case. Good! The more becomes public in this case, the better! Pritzker, btw, was only marginally connected to Epstein, as far as the documents go — but everyone who has nothing to hide should be out there calling for a release of everything, right? Not trying to hide it. That’s sus on its own.
The legal documents are from a long-since ended lawsuit in which Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre sued Ghislaine Maxwell in 2015 for defamation. Maxwell had called Giuffre a “fantasist” who lied about her accusations. Well, we all know how things turned out for Maxwell, who was found guilty of multiple sex trafficking charges for her part in Epstein’s ring.
But long after her conviction, the court is still untangling the legal issues surrounding the unsealing of names. After all, having your name connected to this case has only gotten worse for these folks in the intervening years as now everyone knows about it. But Judge Preska seems intent on finally making the whole damn thing public! Well, mostly…
There are a couple exceptions. First, for instance, there was a Doe mentioned in the case that really had nothing to do with the case. The judge called Doe #12 a “classic outsider” whose name was mentioned “peripheral to the events at issue” and is “neither victim nor associated with Epstein or Maxwell.” The other exception was for victims, like Jane Doe #28 who is a “victim of sexual assault who continues to experience trauma as a result of these events.”
However, in the case of victim Sarah Ransome — Jane Doe #147 — Judge Preska ruled that because she had chosen to “put herself out into the public forum,” testifying in Ghislaine Maxwell’s sentencing hearing and publishing a book about it, her name would also be revealed.
The rest of the Does’ names are expected to be revealed soon. We don’t think there are going to be any bombshells — after all, we already know Epstein had relationships with Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, and Prince Andrew. The names likely won’t get bigger than that. But we’re just glad they’re all finally being revealed — and wish even more would be. Like, everything.
[Image via New York State Sex Offender Registry.]
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