Miami Herald, New York Times seek to unseal records on Jeffrey Epstein’s estate

The Miami Herald has joined an effort by The New York Times asking a judge to unseal financial records from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The records — written by a court-designated special master overseeing probate of his estate — could reveal how his co-executors are distributing the sex trafficker’s fortune and, more significantly, provide insight into how Epstein acquired his money, which has long been a mystery. Epstein’s primary residence was Little St. James, his private island off St. Thomas and where for years he operated a group of shell companies that enabled him to obtain over $300 million in tax breaks in the USVI.

A special master generally provides the court with reports that summarize the assets, liabilities, expenditures and income of the estate in order to ensure that it meets its obligations.

Lawyers for the media companies argue that the reports should not be sealed and are a matter of public record under the First Amendment. Case law has established that there is a “presumption of openness” to judicial documents under the First Amendment unless parties to the case are able to convince a judge the documents should be sealed.

The New York Times filed its letter July 30, urging the judge overseeing the estate to unseal the reports, saying they were designated as confidential without any justification for the sealing. The Herald filed a letter to the judge on Thursday.