Two women whose childhood images were allegedly found among material seized from Jeffrey Epstein’s properties have launched a new federal legal action against his estate, seeking damages and a broader effort to identify others whose images may have been collected without their knowledge.

The proposed class-action lawsuit was filed in federal court in Manhattan on September 16, 2026. The case names Darren Indyke, Epstein’s longtime attorney, and Richard Kahn, his former accountant, in their roles as co-executors of Epstein’s estate.

The plaintiffs are seeking at least $6 million on behalf of more than 40 people, although their attorney says the potential class could ultimately include thousands of individuals.

The lawsuit focuses on an aspect of Epstein’s activities that the plaintiffs say has received less attention than the allegations of sexual abuse themselves: the alleged collection, possession and distribution of images depicting children.

According to the complaint, some of the images were part of a collection investigators seized from Epstein’s New York residence in 2019. Others allegedly appeared in thousands of digital files recovered from properties connected to him.

The plaintiffs are also asking the court to establish a process through which people depicted in the material could be identified and notified.

A CASE BUILT AROUND THE IMAGES
The two women are proceeding under pseudonyms in the court filing.

One plaintiff is identified as Jane Doe.

She alleges that Epstein obtained partially nude photographs of her when she was approximately 12 years old.

According to the lawsuit, the photographs had originally been taken for an artistic project. The complaint alleges that Epstein later obtained the images and kept them as part of a collection of sexualized images involving children.

The second plaintiff is identified as “Amy.”

She alleges that images of her were among child sexual abuse material seized from Epstein’s properties in 2019 and that copies of those images have continued circulating.

The lawsuit argues that the women should not have to bear the consequences of material allegedly created, obtained or retained when they were children.

Their attorneys are seeking damages not only for the original conduct alleged in the complaint, but also for the continuing harm associated with discovering that such images existed and may still be circulating.

THE “MODELING BOOK”
One of the central elements of the lawsuit involves what court documents describe as a “modeling book.”

The complaint alleges that Epstein maintained a collection containing sexualized photographs of children.

Federal investigators seized the material from Epstein’s New York residence in 2019.

According to the lawsuit, some people whose images appeared in the collection were never told that the photographs had been obtained by Epstein or that federal investigators had later taken possession of them.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to create a coordinated process to determine who appears in the material and to make reasonable efforts to notify those individuals.

Their attorneys argue that identifying the people depicted is an essential first step toward allowing potential survivors to understand what happened to their images and pursue legal remedies if they choose.

HOW LARGE COULD THE CLASS BE?
The lawsuit initially seeks to represent more than 40 people.

However, attorney Hillary Nappi, who represents the plaintiffs, told Reuters that the number of potential class members could ultimately reach into the thousands.

That uncertainty stems from the sheer volume of material allegedly connected to Epstein.

Reuters reported that the lawsuit refers to thousands of photographs and videos containing child sexual abuse material and other pornography.

The complaint also alleges that many of the people appearing in the collection have never been identified.

That means the current plaintiffs may represent only a small portion of the people potentially affected.

The proposed class-action structure would allow the court to determine whether the case can proceed on behalf of a larger group.

A REQUEST FOR A NOTIFICATION PROGRAM
The lawsuit is asking for more than financial compensation.

The plaintiffs want Epstein’s estate and federal authorities to cooperate with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, commonly known as NCMEC, to help identify people whose images appear in the collection.

The proposed process would then seek to notify those individuals.

According to the complaint, many people depicted in the material may not know that images of them were ever collected by Epstein or later seized by investigators.

The plaintiffs argue that those individuals should have an opportunity to learn about the existence of the material and decide what legal or personal steps they wish to take.

NCMEC has not publicly confirmed how many people depicted in the material have already been identified or contacted.

THE MONEY BEING SOUGHT
The lawsuit requests $150,000 for each class member, along with additional damages and penalties.

The initial claim seeks approximately $6 million for more than 40 people.

But if a larger class is ultimately certified, the financial exposure could become substantially greater.

At this stage, however, the lawsuit is only a complaint.

The court has not ruled on whether the proposed class will be certified, and no finding of liability has been made against the estate or its representatives.

The allegations will have to proceed through the federal civil litigation process.

WHO IS BEING SUED?
The lawsuit does not name Epstein himself as a living defendant.

Epstein died in federal custody in August 2019, before he could stand trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.

Instead, the case names Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, who serve as co-executors of Epstein’s estate.

Indyke was Epstein’s longtime attorney, while Kahn served as his accountant.

An attorney representing Indyke, Daniel Weiner, declined to comment when contacted about the lawsuit, according to Reuters.

An attorney for Kahn did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Because the lawsuit is at an early stage, the defendants have not presented a full public response to the allegations.

WHY THE LAWSUIT IS SIGNIFICANT
Epstein has been the subject of numerous civil lawsuits from women who accused him of sexual abuse.

This new case takes a somewhat different legal approach.

Instead of focusing primarily on allegations of direct sexual assault, the plaintiffs are seeking damages for people whose images allegedly became part of Epstein’s collection when they were children.

Their attorneys argue that possessing, retaining and distributing such material created a separate and continuing form of harm.

The lawsuit therefore seeks to broaden the legal discussion surrounding Epstein’s conduct beyond the individual abuse allegations that have dominated public attention for years.

THE CASE ALSO RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE
One of the biggest issues raised by the lawsuit is the number of unidentified people who may appear in the material.

According to the plaintiffs’ attorney, many individuals depicted in Epstein’s collection have never been identified.

That creates a difficult challenge.

Investigators may possess images without knowing the names, current locations or circumstances of the people shown in them.

Some individuals may also have been photographed decades ago, making identification more complicated.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to oversee a structured process rather than leaving identification entirely to individual victims or their attorneys.

Their proposal would involve cooperation between Epstein’s estate, federal authorities and NCMEC.

EPSTEIN’S HISTORY WITH UNDERAGE VICTIMS
The new lawsuit comes against the backdrop of Epstein’s long criminal history.

In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to a charge involving prostitution and a minor and served approximately 13 months under a work-release arrangement.

The case later became the subject of widespread criticism because of the lenient treatment he received.

In 2019, federal prosecutors in New York charged Epstein with sex trafficking of minors.

He was arrested and held in federal custody while awaiting trial.

Epstein died in jail in August 2019 before the federal case could proceed to trial.

His death meant that many allegations against him were never tested in a criminal trial.

GHISLAINE MAXWELL REMAINS IMPRISONED
Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell was later prosecuted for her role in recruiting and grooming teenage girls for Epstein.

A federal jury convicted Maxwell in 2021.

She was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

Her conviction remains an important part of the broader legal history surrounding Epstein because prosecutors argued that she helped facilitate access to underage victims.

The new civil lawsuit, however, is directed at Epstein’s estate and its representatives rather than Maxwell.

THE IMAGES HAVE ALREADY BEEN PART OF PREVIOUS LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
The existence of collections of images involving minors has surfaced in previous litigation connected to Epstein.

The new complaint references allegations about a so-called modeling book and other collections of images.

Some of the material was reportedly seized by federal investigators during searches of Epstein’s properties in 2019.

The lawsuit argues that possession of the material has created continuing consequences for the people depicted.

One plaintiff, Amy, claims that images associated with her have circulated for decades.

Her attorneys argue that the continuing existence and circulation of those images creates a form of harm that does not simply end with Epstein’s death.

WHAT THE PLAINTIFFS WANT FROM THE COURT
The lawsuit is asking for several forms of relief.

Among them are:

Financial compensation for people whose images were allegedly included in Epstein’s collection.
Certification of a larger class of potential plaintiffs.
A process to identify people depicted in the material.
Notification of individuals whose images were recovered.
Preservation and accounting of the relevant evidence.
Additional damages and penalties determined by the court.
The plaintiffs are also asking the court to oversee the proposed identification and notification process.

Their attorneys argue that a centralized approach could be more effective than requiring individual survivors to independently discover whether their images were among the seized material.

A NEW LEGAL CHAPTER FOR EPSTEIN’S ESTATE
The lawsuit represents another legal challenge involving Epstein’s estate years after his death.

His estate has already faced claims from women who accused him of sexual abuse.

The new case potentially expands that legal exposure by focusing on people whose childhood images were allegedly collected or distributed.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys say they want the case to address what they describe as an overlooked component of Epstein’s conduct.

They are asking the federal court to examine not only what happened to the individuals depicted in the images, but also what happened to the images themselves after they were created or obtained.

THE CASE IS STILL IN ITS EARLY STAGES
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, the lawsuit remains at the beginning of the civil litigation process.

The plaintiffs still need to establish that the case meets the requirements for class-action treatment.

The defendants will have opportunities to respond to the allegations.

The court may also have to determine which claims can proceed and what responsibility, if any, can legally be attributed to Epstein’s estate.

No court has yet ruled that the defendants are liable for the allegations contained in the complaint.

That distinction is important as the case moves forward.

WHAT COULD HAPPEN NEXT?
The next major stage will likely involve responses from the estate’s representatives and consideration of the plaintiffs’ request for class-action status.

If the court allows the case to proceed as a class action, the potential number of people involved could grow significantly.

The discovery process could also provide more information about the images, how they were obtained, where they were stored and whether additional individuals can be identified.

For survivors whose childhood images may be contained in the collection, the identification issue could be particularly significant.

Some may still have no idea that photographs or videos involving them were ever recovered from Epstein’s properties.

That is one reason the plaintiffs are pushing for a court-supervised notification system.

A CASE THAT COULD REACH FAR BEYOND TWO PLAINTIFFS
What began with two women filing a federal lawsuit could potentially become a much larger legal action.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys say the number of people who could ultimately qualify may be far greater than the initial group identified in the complaint.

For now, the case centers on two women who say their childhood images were found among material connected to Epstein.

But their lawyers are asking the court to look beyond their individual experiences and create a mechanism for identifying others.

The lawsuit therefore raises questions that could extend well beyond the Epstein estate itself:

How many people appear in the collection? How many have been identified? How many know that their images were recovered? And what happens to material that may still be circulating years after it was first created?

Those questions are now before a federal court in New York.

The lawsuit does not provide all of the answers.

But it opens another legal chapter in the long-running effort to account for the people harmed by Jeffrey Epstein and to determine what should happen to the material recovered from his properties.

The case is now moving through the federal court system, with the potential class of plaintiffs possibly expanding as investigators and attorneys work to identify additional people whose images may have been included in Epstein’s collection.