Epstein survivors sue Justice Department and Google over release of private information

ANYTHING? WHEN THE ZORRO RANCH LAND WAS BOUGHT IN THE 1990S, IT WAS FRONT PAGE NEWS. THE ALBUQUERQUE TRIBUNE CALLED IT THE BIG HOUSE AND REPORTED THAT A, QUOTE, MYSTERIOUS STRANGER HAS COME TO STANLEY WITH PLANS TO BUILD THE LARGEST HOME IN NEW MEXICO. THAT STRANGER WAS JEFFREY EPSTEIN. WHY DID I BUY A RANCH IN NEW MEXICO IN 1993? SO THAT GIVES YOU SOME SENSE. SO I WOULD HAVE FUNDED IT IN 1990. LOS ALAMOS, WHICH WAS THE HIGH ENERGY LAB UP IN NEW MEXICO, WAS LOSING ALL ITS SCIENTISTS IN THIS 2019 INTERVIEW, INCLUDED IN THE DOJ FILES, EPSTEIN SAID HE WAS INTERESTED IN INVESTING IN NEW IDEAS. THEY CUT THE FUNDING FOR HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS. BUT THE PEOPLE WHO WORKED IN LOS ALAMOS WOULD STILL BE IN THE SANTA FE AREA. AND CAN CAN YOU FUND PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEW IDEAS? WHEN THE TRIBUNE DID THIS STORY IN 1995, THEY INTERVIEWED EPSTEIN. HE SAID HE WAS, QUOTE, SECURITY CONSCIOUS AND DESCRIBED HIMSELF AS A HERMIT AND AS BEING AFRAID. AT THE TIME. HE EMPLOYED TWO FULL TIME PEOPLE TO MANAGE THE RANCH AND MADE THEM ALL SIGN CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS. THE EMPLOYEES TOLD THE TRIBUNE. THEY WERE, QUOTE, SWORN TO SECRECY. BUT PEOPLE HERE IN NEW MEXICO SAY THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON. HE WAS FROM NEW YORK, IS WHAT WE KNEW. GARY KING IS FROM ONE OF THE LAST OF THE GREAT POLITICAL DYNASTIES IN NEW MEXICO. HIS DAD WAS GOVERNOR KING, HIMSELF A FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL, FORMER STATE REP, AND WAS THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR GOVERNOR IN 2014, HIS FAMILY SOLD EPSTEIN THE LAND WHEN HIS FATHER WAS IN OFFICE. IT WAS OWNED BY HIS FATHER AND TWO UNCLES. SO I AM GUESSING THAT JEFFREY EPSTEIN OR SOMEBODY THAT HE WORKED FOR, WAS LOOKING IN NEW MEXICO AND SAW THAT LAND LISTED, AND THAT THEY REACHED OUT TO THE KING BROTHERS TO BUY THAT LAND. WHEN EPSTEIN PURCHASED THE LAND, IT INCLUDED STATE OWNED PROPERTY. THE PROPERTY WAS LEASED BY THE KING FAMILY FOR GRAZING LIVESTOCK. STATE OFFICIALS NOW SAY. WHEN EPSTEIN PURCHASED THE KING PROPERTY, HE ASSUMED THE LEASES FOR THE STATE OWNED GRAZING LAND, BUT IT DOESN’T APPEAR HE USED IT FOR ANY AGRICULTURAL PURPOSE. IT WAS BY NO MEANS A BONA FIDE GRAZING OPERATION. STEPHANIE GARCIA RICHARD IS THE STATE’S LAND COMMISSIONER. SHE SAYS HER OFFICE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE PEOPLE USE STATE OWNED LAND FOR ITS DESIGNATED PURPOSE. THERE HAVE BEEN CASES WHERE GRAZING LEASES HAVE BEEN MISUSED. THEY ARE NOT USED FOR THEIR INTENDED PURPOSE. I BELIEVE THAT THE GRAZING LEASE AT ZORRO RANCH WAS JUST ONE OF THESE CASES. ONCE BUILT, THIS IS WHAT THE RANCH LOOKED LIKE. SPRAWLING GARDENS IN THE NEW MEXICO DESERT, AN AIRPLANE LANDING STRIP CORRALS AND STABLES FOR LIVESTOCK AND HOMES FOR RANCH WORKERS. IT ALSO HAD A SHOOTING RANGE, AND THIS ANTIQUE TRAIN CAR. INSIDE THERE WAS A SWIMMING POOL, LARGE GARAGE AND ELABORATE OFFICE. THESE ARE THE BLUEPRINTS. SOME OF THESE ARE PHOTOS FROM THE INSIDE THAT WERE PROVIDED TO THIS MAN. YOU COULD SEE THAT IT WASN’T A NORMAL RESIDENCE. 33,333FT. YOU WOULD EXPECT 1520 BEDROOMS, YOU KNOW, A PALACE. AND IT WASN’T THE LAYOUT OF THAT PLACE. WASN’T THAT AT ALL. EDDIE ARAGON IS A RADIO TALK SHOW HOST. EPSTEIN RANCH. HE STARTED TALKING ABOUT EPSTEIN NEARLY DAILY ON HIS SHOW SHORTLY AFTER THE BILLIONAIRE WAS ARRESTED IN 2019. I HAD BEEN INTERESTED IN THE JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S ZORRO RANCH STUFF WAY BEFORE BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE HAD CALLED IN, HAD SORT OF CITIZEN INFORMANTS, CITIZEN JOURNALISTS WHO HAD BEEN FEEDING ME INFORMATION. TODAY, ARAGON BELIEVES THE INFORMANTS WERE ACTUALLY PEOPLE WHO WORKED AT THE RANCH. THEY SUPPLIED HIM VIDEOS, PHOTOS AND PICTURES OF THE INSIDE. I THINK IT’S SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE DISSEMINATED EVERYWHERE SO THAT PEOPLE CAN AC

Updated: 10:53 AM EDT Mar 27, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Updated: 10:53 AM EDT Mar 27, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

A group of Jeffrey Epstein survivors filed a class action lawsuit against the Department of Justice and Google on Thursday over the release of victim-identifying information in files related to the late convicted sex offender.The complaint, filed in Northern District of California federal court, alleges the documents the DOJ released in late 2025 and early 2026 “outed approximately 100 survivors” and published “their private information and identifying them to the world.”The lawsuit comes more than a month after lawyers representing Epstein survivors sent a letter to the DOJ requesting the removal of millions of Epstein-related documents because victims’ information was included –– noting thousands of redaction errors.The Justice Department said in a response at the time that it had removed all the documents flagged with errors and “the Department is continuing to process any new requests and to run its own searches to identify any other documents that may require further redaction.”The complaint filed Thursday claims that even after the government acknowledged the disclosure and files were removed, “online entities like Google continuously republish it, refusing victim’s pleas to take it down.”“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 read.Google could remove or de-index specific content from search results and caches, the suit said, but refused to use such tools, showing “reckless” conduct and “wanton disregard for the wellbeing” of the survivors.CNN has reached out to the Justice Department and Google for comment.The DOJ is required to release records related to Epstein and to redact victims’ names and private information under the 2025 Epstein Files Transparency Act, but the complaint alleges the department failed to ensure private information was redacted under the pressure to act quickly.“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 complaint states.A Department of Justice spokesperson previously told CNN that it takes victim protection “very seriously” and has redacted thousands of victims’ names in the published records, with 500 reviewers looking at the files “for this very reason.”“When a victim’s name is alleged to be unredacted, our team is working around the clock to fix the issue and republish appropriately redacted pages as soon as possible,” the department said. “To date, 0.1% of released pages have been found to have victim identifying information unredacted.”

The complaint, filed in Northern District of California federal court, alleges the documents the DOJ released in late 2025 and early 2026 “outed approximately 100 survivors” and published “their private information and identifying them to the world.”

The lawsuit comes more than a month after lawyers representing Epstein survivors sent a letter to the DOJ requesting the removal of millions of Epstein-related documents because victims’ information was included –– noting thousands of redaction errors.

The Justice Department said in a response at the time that it had removed all the documents flagged with errors and “the Department is continuing to process any new requests and to run its own searches to identify any other documents that may require further redaction.”

The complaint filed Thursday claims that even after the government acknowledged the disclosure and files were removed, “online entities like Google continuously republish it, refusing victim’s pleas to take it down.”

“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 read.

Google could remove or de-index specific content from search results and caches, the suit said, but refused to use such tools, showing “reckless” conduct and “wanton disregard for the wellbeing” of the survivors.

CNN has reached out to the Justice Department and Google for comment.

The DOJ is required to release records related to Epstein and to redact victims’ names and private information under the 2025 Epstein Files Transparency Act, but the complaint alleges the department failed to ensure private information was redacted under the pressure to act quickly.

“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 complaint states.

A Department of Justice spokesperson previously told CNN that it takes victim protection “very seriously” and has redacted thousands of victims’ names in the published records, with 500 reviewers looking at the files “for this very reason.”

“When a victim’s name is alleged to be unredacted, our team is working around the clock to fix the issue and republish appropriately redacted pages as soon as possible,” the department said. “To date, 0.1% of released pages have been found to have victim identifying information unredacted.”

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Epstein survivors sue Justice Department and Google over release of private information

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