A woman who recently alleged raped by now-dead convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein is going after at least some of his alleged enablers and facilitators in court. Jennifer Danielle Araoz, the 32-year-old who publicly claimed in a July interview with NBC that Epstein raped her, sued the disgrace financier’s estate, his confidant and ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, and three Jane Does.
The new complaint was filed Wednesday in a Manhattan court. She previously filed a petition anticipating the official lawsuits but couldn’t file until Wednesday under the newly enacted Child Victims Act. The Act briefly lengthens the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits over the alleged sexual abuse of children. The original petition sought information about the names of the various alleged enablers.
The Jane Does in the case were described as a “Recruiter” who helped groom Araoz for sexual abuse, a “Secretary,” and a “Maid.” According to the original draft complaint filed in court and obtained by Law&Crime, the Recruiter (hired by Maxwell) approached girls as part of Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking ring. One of those targets: Araoz, then a 14-year-old who went to school near Epstein’s Upper East Side mansion. The Recruiter, described in the documents as someone “who appeard to be in her early 20s,” approached Araoz one day near her school — noted for its competitive enrollment of stage-talented young people — in late 2001 and became friendly with her, said the plaintiff. The Recruiter asked Araoz where she lived, “where her parents were, if they were together, where she was born and where he parents worked,” the documents say. Araoz’s father had recently passed away, and the Recruiter used that information to get closer to Araoz. The Recruiter eventually began to talk about Epstein, saying he was a “nice guy” and a “caring guy.”
READ the allegations in the court document below.
The Recruiter eventually got the 14-year-old Araoz to visit Epstein’s. The financier — years before he was a convicted in a state criminal case in Florida — began grooming Araoz for sexual abuse, said the complaint. For example, he would give her money, ostensibly to give help in her father’s absence toward her dream of becoming an actress, model, and singer, said the complaint. (Araoz was enrolled in high school aimed at talented students; the documents say she had to audition for enrollment.) This process progressed to Epstein making the plaintiff massage him, said the complaint. The first incident allegedly ended with him turning over, removing his towel, and masturbating onto himself.
The abuse continued until 2002, when Epstein raped Araoz. She never returned to his home after that and avoided his attempts to get in touch with her, said the complaint.
Attorneys for Epstein and Maxwell did not immediately respond to separate Law&Crime requests for comment. Maxwell previously denied allegations of enabling and participating in the sexual abuse of girls.
The disgraced financier was found dead Saturday morning at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan as he faced new charges for the sexual abuse of minors, federal authorities said. It was described as an apparent suicide.
Jennifer Araoz Lawsuit by Law&Crime on Scribd
[Image of Maxwell via Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images]