Jeffrey Epstein: Victim’s bid to have 2009 plea deal thrown out is rejected by Supreme Court

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

The US Supreme Court has denied a request by one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims to throw out a secret plea deal the late paedophile made with Florida prosecutors in 2009.

Courtney Wild claimed in her lawsuit that Florida federal prosecutors had failed to consult victims when reaching a secret plea deal with Epstein more than a decade ago.

Epstein, who died in jail in New York in 2019, was allowed to serve just 13 months in prison under the sweetheart deal that spared him serious federal charges and permitted him to plead guilty to lesser state prostitution-related charges. 

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court said it would not consider the case, offering no reason for its decision.

A federal judge had ruled that prosecutors had violated victims’ rights laws by failing to consult them before accepting the 2009 deal.

But after Epstein’s death, at the age of 66 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges, the case was dismissed.

Ms Wild, who has spoken of her abuse in numerous interviews, appealed the dismissal.

In April 2020, a three-judge panel of the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 against her, saying a lower court had correctly thrown out her lawsuit.

The Justice Department had urged the justices not to hear the case.

Epstein was arrested in 2019 and charged with recruiting young girls to give him massages before sexually abusing them at his homes in Florida and Manhattan.

Epstein died aged 66 on 10 August 2019 while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide by the medical examiner.

Associated Press contributed to this report