Karine Silva, who says she was abused by Jeffrey Epstein at 17, together with her legal professional Jordan Merson at Metropolis Corridor Park previous to the vote on laws reopening civil-claims home windows for survivors.
Photograph by Lloyd Mitchell
A girl who says she was abused by convicted intercourse offender and alleged intercourse trafficker Jeffrey Epstein at 17 is making ready to file a lawsuit towards the lifeless financier’s property after the New York Metropolis Council on Tuesday handed laws reopening a one-year window for survivors of gender-motivated violence to convey civil claims.
Karine Silva, who publicly disclosed for the primary time final month that she was abused by Epstein, advised New York News on Tuesday that she was launched to Epstein by a pal at age 17 with the promise of a job as a masseuse at his Higher East Aspect townhouse. As a substitute, she stated, sexual abuse occurred.
Silva didn’t present particulars of the alleged abuse, solely that it happened round 2000, the identical time one among Epstein’s most distinguished accusers, Virginia Giuffre, then 16, was launched to him.
Giuffre later sued Epstein in 2009 and his convicted confederate, Ghislaine Maxwell, in 2015, claiming she was drawn right into a sex-trafficking operation wherein Epstein and Maxwell exploited her and launched her to influential associates. Giuffre, 41, died by suicide earlier this 12 months at her dwelling in Australia.
Epstein survivor sees second probability for justice
Silva, now 42 and a mom of two, stated she was not prepared for years to come back ahead concerning the abuse she suffered at Epstein’s palms. She stated she didn’t perceive the authorized deadlines that might later be used to dam her from pursuing a case.
“I wasn’t ready to come out, and I wasn’t aware that the statute of limitations was something that was going to stop me from seeking justice,” she stated.
Her legal professional, Jordan Merson, who represents a number of victims of Epstein, stated Silva reached out to his workplace after encountering the authorized barrier of the statute of limitations.
“When she called the firm, we wanted to help,” Merson stated, noting that the decision got here as momentum was constructing for the brand new modification, Intro. 1297. “When I first proposed that she could become a powerful voice in this fight because of what was done to her, she decided to take it.”
Merson stated he intends to file Silva’s swimsuit as quickly because the window opens.
“The New York City Council has shown by action that it stands with sexual abuse survivors and not the sex traffickers like Jeffrey Epstein,” he stated. “Anyone who at this point tries to undo or defeat this bill will be telling the whole world that they want to protect Jeffrey Epstein and other sex traffickers and not help sexual abuse victims.”
Merson requested Silva to share her story with the council, believing she may turn out to be a robust voice within the effort to safe the passage of the laws reopening civil-claims home windows for survivors.Photograph by Lloyd Mitchell
If signed into legislation by Mayor Eric Adams, the laws, sponsored by Queens Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers and supported by greater than 40 co-sponsors, will reopen the Gender-Motivated Violence Act (GMVA) “lookback” interval. It additionally clarifies that survivors might sue not solely alleged perpetrators but in addition establishments that enabled abuse, no matter when it occurred.
When Silva first publicly recognized herself throughout an October Council listening to, she testified that she struggles day by day with how she was abused, however that she can not afford psychological well being remedies.
On Tuesday, Silva stated the passage of Intro. 1297 restores her skill to maneuver ahead.
“Today, thanks to the New York City Council, I get my voice back as a survivor,” she stated at a press convention exterior Metropolis Corridor. “Now I can try to seek justice for all the harm I suffered.”
The invoice now heads to Mayor Adams. If enacted, the window, slated to open in 2026, will permit Silva and different survivors whose instances had been dismissed earlier this 12 months to hunt civil accountability from Epstein’s property and establishments they are saying allowed the abuse to happen.
Silva’s potential authorized motion follows Congress passing and President Donald Trump signing laws requiring the Justice Division to launch all Epstein data earlier than Christmas.
In July 2025, the FBI reported that its assessment of the information revealed Epstein had greater than 1,000 victims.
Epstein was first investigated in 2005 in Florida for paying a 14-year-old for intercourse and later prevented federal prices by a secret plea deal, serving 13 months in a work-release program. In 2019, he was charged with intercourse trafficking in Manhattan and died by suicide a month later. In 2021, Maxwell was convicted of intercourse trafficking and is serving 20 years in jail.
