What names appeared in the 2019 unsealed Epstein court documents and what context did each name appear in?
Executive summary
A judge ordered the unsealing in early January 2024 of roughly 900–1,000 pages of civil-court materials tied to Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit and other Epstein-related records, disclosing about 150–170 names of people who appeared in depositions, motions and exhibits—ranging from alleged victims and witnesses to public figures whose roles in the documents vary from passing mention to direct accusation [1] [2]. Reporting across outlets emphasized a core group of high-profile names—Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Alan Dershowitz, Jean‑Luc Brunel, Glenn Dubin, David Copperfield and others—but stressed that appearance in the files is not uniform proof of wrongdoing and that many entries add little new information [3] [4] [5] [6].
1. Prince Andrew — a central accuser’s testimony and a civil settlement
Prince Andrew appears in multiple depositions cited in the unsealed material, most notably Johanna Sjoberg’s testimony describing meeting him at Epstein’s Manhattan home in 2001 and alleging he touched her inappropriately, testimony that echoed past public claims and sits alongside Andrew’s separate settlement with Virginia Giuffre in prior litigation [7] [8] [3].
2. Bill Clinton and Donald Trump — named but not charged, context of travel and social ties
Both former presidents are named in the documents in contexts that reporters say do not allege criminal activity: Bill Clinton is referenced in witness testimony about Epstein’s travel and social circles, and his spokesperson’s longstanding denial was reiterated; Donald Trump is referenced in testimony recounting Epstein’s remarks about calling Trump during a 2001 flight, with outlets cautioning that the filings contain no new criminal allegations against either man [4] [1] [9].
3. Alan Dershowitz and other lawyers — named as associates and litigants’ focus
Alan Dershowitz, a longtime public figure in past Epstein litigation, is named in the unsealed civil materials as someone associated through prior filings and public claims; reporting places him among people whose inclusion reflects previous litigation and depositions rather than new criminal charges [10] [11].
4. Jean‑Luc Brunel, Glenn Dubin, Les Wexner and other businessmen — accused, alleged or simply mentioned
Modeling agent Jean‑Luc Brunel is listed in the files as a known Epstein associate who has been publicly accused in other proceedings; hedge‑fund figures like Glenn Dubin are referenced in Giuffre’s deposition testimony alleging Maxwell directed her to “give him a massage,” a claim Dubin has denied, while Les Wexner is linked in reporting to one Doe whose counsel fought to remain anonymous, reflecting prior reporting about Wexner’s financial ties to Epstein [11] [5] [2] [6].
5. Celebrities such as Michael Jackson and David Copperfield — names appear in passing in depositions
The unsealed papers include passing references to entertainers: Michael Jackson is named in some filings reported by outlets, and David Copperfield is mentioned in witness testimony recounted by reporters about conversations on recruitment and “massage therapists,” but the coverage stresses that these names often appear as recollections or third‑party mentions rather than as part of new allegations substantiating criminal conduct [10] [3] [8].
6. Victims, witnesses and the limits of the list — many “Does,” little new proof for most names
The release contains many accusers, witnesses and staff (for example, Virginia Giuffre and Johanna Sjoberg among those whose depositions are in the docket), but independent fact‑checks and newsrooms caution that a large share of the roughly 150–170 named people had already been publicly connected to Epstein or are mentioned only in passing; PolitiFact and others found that widely circulated lists claiming hundreds of trafficked clients were overstated and that most Does do not, in the newly unsealed pages, have corroborating new evidence of criminality [7] [9] [6].
7. What journalists and courts say about interpretation and misinformation
News organizations and fact‑checkers uniformly urge caution: the court releases mix victims’ testimony, background social links, and investigative material, and the Department of Justice and reporting outlets have both warned against sensationalizing names as definitive proof of guilt; social‑media lists that tried to portray all named individuals as implicated have been debunked as inaccurate or incomplete [12] [9] [5].
The available sources do not publish a single, definitive public roster of every unsealed name in one place within this reporting sample, so this account focuses on the prominent figures repeatedly cited in the unsealed materials and on caveats reporters and fact‑checkers applied when interpreting what a name’s appearance actually means [1] [6].