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A South Florida woman claims she was sex-trafficked on Epstein's island, according to federal lawsuitHere's why

Home / Media / Travis Walker Epstein Island Sex Trafficking Lawsuit
A South Florida woman claims she was lured to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island, where she was forced into heinous acts, according to a lawsuit filed by a Stuart-based attorney

, Fla. —

 

A new lawsuit filed in federal court shows a South Florida woman claims she was sex-trafficked on Jeffrey Epstein’s private island

According to the lawsuit filed by Travis Walker, a Stuart-based attorney, the woman claims she was lured to the island, situated in the Caribbean Sea southeast of St. Thomas, in 2018 and was forced into heinous acts.



 

WPBF 25 News sat down with Walker, who explained why the lawsuit was just filed roughly eight years later.

Hearst Owned


Attorney Travis Walker filed the lawsuit. 

“I’ve been working on this case for quite some time before we filed it, and we were hoping that with the release of the Epstein files, we would get either information confirming or denying the information that we have. Because it’s been so lackluster, for lack of a better term, we haven’t been able to do that,” he said.

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The Trafficking Victims Protection Act has a 10-year statute of limitations, and Walker said their time was running out.

 

“This happened in 2018. Being that we’re in 2026, we had to make a decision to protect our client’s rights,” he said.

Hearst Owned

 

Epsteins private island.

 

Walker wouldn’t get into the specific allegations, but said the lawsuit directly addresses the human trafficking accusations.

Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News

“She alleges that she was sex-trafficked and lured onto Epstein island and was engaged in sexual activity that ultimately involved coercion and bad activities,” he said.

Palm Beach attorney: Secret Epstein files could expose powerful men in sex trafficking ring

According to Walker, his client alleges she was on the island for about a week and was unable to leave. He said they’ve had conversations with law enforcement, but the case remains a civil matter.

 

The lawsuit does not clarify how the woman claims she was lured to the island. WPBF 25 News asked Walker, who said he isn’t able to comment on the details.

Hearst Owned

 

Epsteins private island.

“I think that what was told to these girls and women was one thing, and then they were brought there under those pretenses, and slowly, through mental manipulation, they were forced into acts that were just awful,” he said.

 

He expanded on that by explaining his client does not allege that she was brought there by Epstein himself.

 

“I mean, the reason why she’s brought there was for sex trafficking purposes. I believe that what led her there was very relationship-based, whether it was primarily friends or acquaintances,” Walker said.

New photos and videos give 'disturbing' look inside Jeffrey Epstein’s private island estate

Walker said they are exploring the possibility of occult or religion-based activities being involved.

 

“The reasons for the sex trafficking, I think, will be revealed over time. That may be coercion. It may be blackmail of important figures. It may also be the involvement of occult activities or spiritual things of that nature, too. The more information comes out, the more we see information that is of interest,” he said.

 

Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.

 

When asked to expand on that, Walker said he feels more information could come to light with time and the full release of the Epstein files.

Epstein investigation files reveal more images and documents

“There’s no definitive evidence of an occult activity on the island. However, there’s lots of indications and lots of clues that associate it. So that’s what we have to be mindful of,” Walker told WPBF.

 

In a court filing Tuesday, top Justice Department leaders said they expect to release the department’s Jeffrey Epstein-related files “in the near term.”

 

Walker said, so far, the files do not confirm or deny his client’s accusations.

 

“That’s why we keep waiting for the information to come out,” he said. “If information from the Epstein files came out and it was like, well, she was completely wrong, and she was making up a story, then I’d say, OK, well, let’s move on and not handle the case. But that’s not happened.”

 

As for the allegations of sex trafficking, Walker said that the racketeering claims mentioned in the lawsuit are pointed at a coordinated scheme behind it.

 

“I think there was a tree of people who were obviously helping facilitate it. Mr. Epstein, from everything I read, didn’t fly his own planes. He had pilots, he had employees, he had people running the island. So there were a lot of people associated with it who, my understanding is, were also on nondisclosure agreements. So a lot of that to say that it was quite an operation,” he said.

 

Troutman Pepper Locke is named as the firm defending the executors of the Epstein Estate. WPBF 25 News reached out to the firm but has yet to hear back.

 

Walker said he knows this case is a lot of work, but he feels ready.

 

“We believe that we have the obligation to move forward and to help survivors, and sometimes we’re going to fight Goliath. Sometimes we’re David fighting Goliath, and that’s that’s fine. I have faith that we’ll be fine,” he said.

 

Earlier this month, the Justice Department said it had released 12,285 documents, which is less than one percent of its Epstein-related files, with more than 2 million documents still in review.


 

This is a developing story.

Rachael Perry 
Updated: 6:36 AM EST Jan 30, 2026

Rachael Perry joined the WPBF team in July of 2024. She grew up in Chicago where she graduated from Columbia College.

Human Trafficking Cases We Handle

Types of Human Trafficking Cases We Handle

Human trafficking is a crime that takes many forms, each of which deprives survivors of their freedom and basic human rights. Our Florida human trafficking lawyers support survivors in a range of human trafficking cases, including several types recognized by the United States Office To Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons: 

  • Sex Trafficking:  These cases involve the exploitation of individuals to engage in sex acts for money. Survivors may range from adults to minors.

  • Labor Trafficking: These cases involve forced servitude or labor, which can occur in industries such as agriculture, hospitality, and construction.

  • Child Trafficking: This involves the exploitation of minors for labor or sex. 
  • Domestic Servitude: Such cases involve forcing survivors to work domestically for little or no compensation and without the ability to leave.

  • Forced Crimes: In such cases, individuals are compelled to commit crimes, such as theft or drug distribution, under threat or coercion.Human trafficking cases in any form have unique legal challenges. Our Florida human trafficking lawyers use strategic litigation to hold traffickers accountable through civil lawsuits and obtain compensation for survivors.

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