How Epstein survivor fought for transparency, justice for victims
The House and Senate voted resoundingly Tuesday to release the files related to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after years of calls from survivors, victims' advocates and others.
One of those leading the calls was Courtney Wild, who sued the federal government in 2008 over its treatment of Epstein that allowed him to avoid federal charges involving more than 30 underage victims.
"I'm extremely grateful for today's win," Wild told ABC News Tuesday. "Today is the first step in the right direction to expose the elite pedophile ring who enabled this whole operation."
Throughout the years, Wild has fought for justice and to help expose Epstein's sex abuse.
Wild said she was just 14 years old when she was recruited by a friend to go to Epstein's Palm Beach mansion in 2001, under the guise of providing a massage to an older man.
"I was told that he was a brain surgeon or he was a doctor of some sort," Wild told ABC News in 2020. "I knew he had money. I had no idea who he was, though."
She said she was sexually abused by Epstein and eventually persuaded to recruit other girls. Wild later broke free of Epstein.
The Palm Beach Police and FBI began to investigate Epstein, but in 2008, after nearly two years of investigations, the federal government entered into a then-secret non-prosecution agreement with the businessman.
The agreement, which was made without informing the alleged victims, spared Epstein of a potential lengthy prison sentence in exchange for guilty pleas to two lesser state prostitution charges.
He served just 13 months of an 18-month sentence in a private wing of a county jail, and was released in 2009.
Wild, like other survivors and their families, slammed the government over the deal and took action.
In July 2008, she filed a civil suit against the United States, alleging that the U.S. Attorney's Office in Florida had violated federal law by reaching a secret non-prosecution agreement with Epstein without conferring with the victims.
Wild's legal action forced the government to admit that the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami had already reached a confidential deal with Epstein several months earlier, without informing the alleged victims.
Over 12 years of litigation, Wild's case ultimately exposed details of the secret negotiations between prosecutors and Epstein's high-priced legal team that led to the controversial agreement.
Epstein was ultimately charged with new sex trafficking counts in July 2019, however, he died by suicide in a federal jail before the case went to trial.
Wild continued to press on with her case.
The appeals of her case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In February 2022, the high court declined to take up the case and upheld the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals 2-1 ruling that said a lower court had correctly dismissed her lawsuit.
Despite the legal setback, Wild remained adamant and persistent in her calls for justice.
"I'm so proud to be a part of such a powerful movement. The abuse I endured at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein has inspired me to help all individuals who've experienced similar traumas. Helping people take their life back after sexual abuse is my mission," she said Tuesday. "To every person who has supported us, believed us, thank you."
