(WXYZ) — The Justice Department released thousands of new records over the weekend on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including a lawsuit detailing alleged abuse involving a young child who attended Interlochen Center for the Arts summer camp near Traverse City.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report:
The 10-page lawsuit details allegations regarding a 13-year-old Jane Doe, claiming she was allegedly one of Epstein's and Ghislaine Maxwell's very first victims.
Interlochen Center for the Arts is a prominent performing arts boarding school in northern Michigan that also hosts an annual summer camp. Notable alumni include singer Chappell Roan, actress Felicity Huffman, and Jeffrey Epstein, who attended summer camp there in 1967.
According to the lawsuit, Jane Doe claims that while at summer camp in 1994, Epstein, who often donated to the school, approached her while she was alone between classes, along with Maxwell.
Attorneys for the alleged victim claim Epstein "bragged to her about being a patron of the arts and giving scholarships to talented young artists like Doe."
They then asked about her family and financial situation.
They claimed the young girl was groomed over the course of years, and financially supported by Epstein, including being put up in an apartment with her mom in New York, where he intertwined himself in her life and allegedly abused the girl, forcing her to perform sexual acts.
The lawsuit was settled in 2021. Nassar survivor and sexual assault victim advocate Grace French says it's much too easy for predators to target places viewed as safe havens, like schools and camps, as breeding grounds for abuse.
"Grooming is common. And predators rarely look like strangers in that situation. They're often respected, charismatic, and really embedded in the community. And grooming also targets not just the child, but also parents, institutions, peers. And that can make it harder to identify," French said.
7 News Detroit reached out to the school, who said in a statement in part:
When Interlochen administrators learned of Epstein's conviction in 2008, Interlochen conducted an internal review and found no record of complaint or concern about Epstein. All donor recognition in his name was removed from campus at that time. Subsequent to Epstein's second arrest in July 2019, we again reviewed our records and found no report or complaint involving Epstein within our records.
They went on to say:
The well-being of our students will always be our highest priority.
French adds that while these files are something the public and legislators have been demanding to see, it can be triggering for survivors, and it's imperative that everyone takes care of themselves, in whatever way that looks like to them.
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