Epstein documents will start being released today, New York federal court

The release of unsealed documents in the civil case related to Jeffrey Epstein is scheduled to begin Wednesday, a federal New York court told Just the News.

The statement follows earlier news reports that the documents, which were purportedly to be released Tuesday, that they would not be released for at least an additional 30 days.

A spokesperson for the Southern District of New York told Just the News that previous reporting indicating that the release would be delayed until at least Jan. 22 was inaccurate. He said that the release of the much anticipated documents is scheduled to begin today.

The spokesperson said that only the individuals who have appealed for continued sealing of their personal information would be withheld from the release and that earlier reports claiming that the whole release would be delayed for 30 days were inaccurate.

The dump of unsealed documents is expected to reveal more than 175 names of individuals mentioned in a civil case filed by one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims against Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

ABC News previously reported that J. Doe 36 mentioned in the court documents is former President Bill Clinton. The Wall Street Journal also previously identified several individuals who met and interacted with Epstein from 2013 to 2017.

The confusion over the timeline appears to stem from the most recent filing in the case, in which Judge Loretta Preska granted a 30-day extension to one of the individuals named in the case, J. Doe 107.

Doe 107 requested her name remain redacted when the documents are unsealed because “she lives outside the United States in a culturally conservative country and lives in fear of her name being released,” according to the letter provided to the court by her attorney. The letter cited potential “risks of physical harm” to Doe 107 in her country.

According to the filing, Judge Preska approved the request.

“Doe 107's request for a 30-day extension is approved. Doe 107 shall, by January 22, 2024, submit to the Court for in camera review an affidavit (1) supporting her assertion that she faces a risk of physical harm in her country of residence and (2) providing detail concerning the hate mail she has received,” Preska wrote in response.

Though Doe 107 is not mentioned in Preska’s Dec. 18 order to unseal the names the individuals referenced in the case, the lawyer for the individual expressed his wishes to submit additional materials to support the continued sealing of his clients information in the case, according to his letter.

According to SDNY, this individual petition will not affect the scheduled release of the names.