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Apr 15, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Read: Court rules Epstein prosecutors didn't break the law in plea deal

Rebecca Falconer
A protest group called "Hot Mess" hold up signs of Jeffrey Epstein in front of the Federal courthouse in New York City last July.
Protesters hold images of Jeffrey Epstein in front of the Federal courthouse in New York City last July. Photo: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

An appeals court on Tuesday upheld a 2007 deal between Jeffrey Epstein and prosecutors allowing him to avoid federal sex trafficking charges — denying an effort by one of his accusers to challenge the action in a lawsuit.

The big picture: A judge ruled last year that federal prosecutors in Florida violated the law by striking the deal. "It's not a result we like, but it's the result we think the law requires," a panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in its opinion following the 2-1 ruling. A lawyer for Courtney Wild, who's spoken of being molested by Epstein at age 14, said in a statement they plan to file a petition for a rehearing.

Read the federal appeals court's decision via DocumentCloud:

Go deeper: The life and death of Jeffrey Epstein

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