Case: Jane Doe 1 v. United States of America

On March 26, 2026, Jane Doe 1, a California resident and Jeffrey Epstein sexual abuse survivor, filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the United States of America and Google. She brought the action individually and on behalf of a putative class of approximately 100 other Jeffrey Epstein survivors whose personally identifying information was allegedly wrongfully disclosed. The complaint alleged that from December 19, 2025, to January 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice released millions of pages of unredacted records related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation pursuant to the Epstein Files Transparency Act and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. These releases improperly disclosed the personally identifying information of approximately 100 Epstein survivors without their consent, including names, phone numbers, email addresses, cities of residence, occupations, and photographs. After the government acknowledged the improper disclosure and removed documents from its website, Google allegedly continued to display and republish this information through its search results and AI Mode, despite receiving notice from survivors to remove it. The plaintiff brought five causes of action: violation of the Privacy Act of 1974 against the United States, and violations of California's Unfair Competition Law, invasion of privacy, negligence, and negligent infliction of emotional distress against Google. The plaintiff sought class certification, injunctive relief requiring Google to remove the information, compensatory and punitive damages, statutory minimum damages of at least $1,000 per class member against the United States, and attorney fees.

This case is ongoing.