Doe 1 v. U.S.

• Decision Date: 21 February 2019
• Docket Number: CASE NO. 08-80736-CIV-MARRA
• Citation: 359 F.Supp.3d 1201
• Parties: Jane DOE 1 and Jane Doe 2, Petitioners, v. UNITED STATES, Respondent.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Southern District of Florida

359 F.Supp.3d 1201

Jane DOE 1 and Jane Doe 2, Petitioners,

v.UNITED STATES, Respondent.

CASE NO. 08-80736-CIV-MARRA

United States District Court, S.D. Florida.

Signed February 21, 2019

Bradley James Edwards, Edwards Pottinger LLC, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Jay C. Howell, Pro Hac Vice, Jay Howell & Associates PA, Jacksonville, FL, John Scarola, Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, West Palm Beach, FL, Paul G. Cassell, University of Utah, SJ Quinney College of Law, Salt Lake City, Utah, for Petitioners.

Ann Marie C. Villafana, United States Attorney's Office, West Palm Beach, FL, Dexter Lee, United States Attorney's Office, Miami, FL, for Respondent.

OPINION AND ORDER

KENNETH A. MARRA, United States District Judge

This cause is before the Court upon Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (DE 361); the United States's Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment (DE 408); Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2's Motion to Compel Answers (DE 348) and Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2's Motion for Finding Waiver of Work Product and Similar Protections by Government and for Production of Documents (DE 414). The Motions are fully briefed and ripe for review. The Court has carefully considered the Motions and is otherwise fully advised in the premises.

I. Background

The facts, as culled from affidavits, exhibits, depositions, answers to interrogatories and reasonably inferred, for the purpose of these motions, are as follows:

From between about 1999 and 2007, Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused more than 30 minor girls, including Petitioners Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 (hereinafter, "Petitioners"), at his mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, and elsewhere in the United States and overseas. (Government Resp. to Petitioner's Statement of Undisputed Material Facts (hereinafter, "DE 407" at ¶ 1.) Because Epstein and his co-conspirators knowingly traveled in interstate and international commerce to sexually abuse Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2 and others, they committed violations of not only Florida law, but also federal law. (DE 407 at ¶ 2.) In addition to his own sexual abuse of the victims, Epstein directed other persons to abuse the girls sexually. (DE 407 at ¶ 3.) Epstein used paid employees to find and bring minor girls to him. Epstein worked in concert with others to obtain minors not only for his own sexual gratification, but also for the sexual gratification of others. (DE 407 at ¶ 8.)

In 2005, the Town of Palm Beach Police Department ("PBPD") received a complaint from the parents of a 14 year old girl about her sexual abuse by Jeffery Epstein. The PBPD ultimately identified approximately 20 girls between the ages of 14 and 17 who were sexually abused by Epstein. (DE 407 at ¶ 4.) In 2006, at the request of the PBPD, the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") opened an investigation into allegations that Epstein and his personal assistants used the facilities of interstate commerce to induce girls between the ages of 14 and 17 to engage in illegal sexual activities. (DE 407 at ¶ 5.) The FBI ultimately determined that both Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 were victims of sexual abuse by Epstein while they were minors. Jane Doe 1 provided information about her abuse and Jane Doe 2's abuse to the FBI on August 7, 2007. (DE 407 at ¶ 6.)

From January of 2007 through September of 2007, discussions took place between the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida ("the Office") and Jeffrey Epstein's attorneys. (DE 407 at ¶ 9.) On February 1, 2007, Epstein's defense team sent a 24-page letter to the Office going over what they intended to present during a meeting at the Office the same day. (DE 407 at ¶ 10.)

By March 15, 2007, the Office was sending letters to victims informing them of their rights pursuant to the Crime Victims' Rights Act ("CVRA"). (DE 407 at ¶ 11.) By May of 2007, the Office had drafted an 82-page prosecution memorandum and a 53-page indictment outlining numerous federal sexual offenses committed by Epstein. (DE 407 at ¶ 12.) On or about June 7, 2007, FBI agents had delivered to Jane Doe 1 a standard CVRA victim notification letter.¹ The notification letter promised that the Justice Department would make its "best efforts" to protect Jane Doe 1's rights, including "the reasonable right to confer with the attorney for the United States in the case" and "to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding in the district court involving [a] ... plea." The notification further stated that, "[a]t this time, your case is under investigation." (DE 407 at ¶ 13.) Jane Doe 1 relied on those representations and believed that the Government would protect those rights and keep her informed about the progress of her case. (DE 407 at ¶ 14.)

On July 6, 2007, Epstein's lawyers sent a 23-page letter lodging numerous arguments to persuade the Office that no federal crimes had been committed by him. (DE 407 at ¶ 15.) By August 3, 2007, the Government had rejected Epstein's various arguments against federal charges and sent a letter to Epstein's counsel stating, "[w]e would reiterate that the agreement to Section 2255 [a civil restitution provision] liability applies to all of the minor girls identified during the federal investigation, not just the 12 that form the basis of an initial planned charging instrument." (DE 407 at ¶ 17.) On September 10, 2007, multiple drafts of a non-prosecution agreement ("NPA") had been exchanged between Epstein's counsel and the Office. (DE 407 at ¶ 18.)

On September 12, 2007, while attempting to create alternative charges against Epstein, the Office expressed concern about "the effect of taking the position that Mr. Epstein's house is in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States" because the Government had "no evidence of any assaults occurring either on Mr. Epstein's plane or offshore from his residence." (DE 407 at ¶ 19.) On September 13, 2007, the line prosecutor emailed Epstein's counsel indicating an effort to come up with a solution to the aforementioned concern and she stated that she had been "spending some quality time with Title 18 looking for misdemeanors." The line prosecutor further indicated, "I know that someone mentioned there being activity on an airplane. I just want to make sure that there is a factual basis for the plea that the agents can confirm." Epstein's counsel responded, "[a]lready thinking about the same statutes." (DE 407 at ¶ 20.)

On September 14, 2007, after having spoken on the telephone about the subject matter of the September 13 emails, Epstein's counsel and the line prosecutor exchanged emails including a proposed plea agreement for Epstein to plead guilty to assaulting one of his coconspirators. (DE 407 at ¶ 21.) On September 15, 2007, the line prosecutor sent an email to the Epstein defense team raising concerns about a resolution that would not involve one of Epstein's minor victims and stating:

I have gotten some negative reaction to the assault charge with [a co-conspirator] as the victim, since she is considered one of the main perpetrators of the offenses that we planned to charge in the indictment. Can you talk to Mr. Epstein about a young woman named [Jane Doe]? We have hearsay evidence that she traveled on Mr. Epstein's airplane when she was under 18, in around the 2000 or 2001 time frame.

(DE 407 at ¶ 22.)

On September 16, 2007, the line prosecutor corresponded with Epstein's counsel about having Epstein plead guilty to obstruction of justice for pressuring one of his co-conspirators not to turn over evidence or complying with a previously-served grand jury subpoena. (DE 407 at ¶ 23.) The Office also stated, "On an ‘avoid the press’ note, I believe that Mr. Epstein's airplane was in Miami on the day of the [co-conspirator] telephone call. If he was in Miami-Dade County at the time, then I can file the charge in the District Court in Miami, which will hopefully cut the press coverage significantly." They also discussed having Epstein plead guilty to a second charge of assaulting a different co-conspirator. (DE 407 at ¶ 24.)

On September 16, 2007, the line prosecutor wrote to Epstein's counsel indicating that the Office did not like the factual basis for the proposed charges as the Office was "not investigating Mr. Epstein [for] abusing his girlfriend." (DE 407 at ¶ 25.) The correspondence further stated:

Andy [i.e., AUSA Andrew Laurie] recommended that some of the timing issues be addressed only in the state agreement, so that it isn't obvious to the judge that we are trying to create federal jurisdiction for prison purposes.

I will include our standard language regarding resolving all criminal liability and I will mention ‘co-conspirators,’ but I would prefer not to highlight for the judge all of the other crimes and all of the other persons that we could charge. Also, we do not have the power to bind Immigration ... there is no plan to try to proceed on any immigration charges against either Ms. [co-conspirator] or Ms. [coconspirator]

(Ex. 7, DE 361-7.)

In the same email, the line prosecutor wrote to defense counsel about a meeting outside the U.S. Attorney's Office: "Maybe we can set a time to meet. If you want to meet ‘off campus’ somewhere, that is fine." (DE 407 at ¶ 27.) On about September 16, 2007, Epstein's counsel provided a proposed NPA to the Government that extended immunity from federal prosecution not only to Epstein, but also to certain co-conspirators. (DE 407 at ¶ 28.)

On September 17, 2007, the line prosecutor wrote to defense counsel Jay Lefkowitz: "Please send [a document] to my home e-mail address – [redacted] and give me a call on my cell [redacted] so I can be ready for some discussions tomorrow." (DE 407 at ¶ 29.) On September 17, 2007, Lefkowitz responded: "[D]o you have another obstruction proffer I can review that you have drafted? Also, if we go that route, would you intend to make the deferred prosecution agreement public?" (DE 407 at ¶ 30.)

On September 18, 2007, the Office responded: "A non-prosecution agreement would not...