08 January 2024 , 06:37
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Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz has responded after she alongside others was named in new court documents about billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The actress features in new documents that have been unsealed in an ongoing case, and Diaz is mentioned alongside other actors including Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruce Willis, Kevin Spacey and Cate Blanchett. The documents, which have recently come to light, mention Diaz as part of 'name dropping' by the late Epstein, and in no way imply any wrongdoing or illegal behaviour by the actress.
The court documents feature many famous figures including actors, actresses, business figures and politicians but there is no suggestion that most of those listed either knew about his crimes or participated in any criminal behaviour.
READ MORE: Jeffrey Epstein: 6 bombshells from second batch of documents including Clinton 'threats'
Cameron Diaz's representatives have denied the actress ever met Jeffrey Epstein or had any association with him (Getty Images)Diaz's representatives told outlets including E! in a statement on Friday (5 January): "Cameron never met Jeffrey Epstein, nor was she ever in the same place as him or had any association with him whatsoever regardless of the fact he may or may not have mentioned her name or implied that he knew her."
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The statement comes after a previously sealed deposition with a former victim of Epstein revealed he mentioned the actress. Johanna Sjoberg, who alleges she was abused by Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, was asked about the billionaire's connections to celebrities, which includes Diaz, and she was questioned if she ever met Diaz and she replied that she hadn't.
In another response, Sjoberg revealed that Epstein had also "name dropped" Cate Blanchett whilst he received a massage from her. She claimed Epstein "would be on the phone a lot" with her including while getting a massage where he named the Hollywood star. Sjoberg explained: "One time he said, 'Oh, that was ... Cate Blanchett ...' That kind of thing."
New court documents detailing Jeffrey Epstein have come to light, naming 170 celebrity figures including Cameron Diaz as the billionaire 'name dropped' (Corbis via Getty Images)
Jeffrey Epstein was arrested in 2019 for sex trafficking, but later died in his prison cell in New York (Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)Last week Judge Loretta A. Preska unsealed the more than 170 names in a New York court linked to the Jeffrey Epstein - Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking conspiracy. The people named include sex abuse victims, litigation witnesses, former Epstein workers and also those not involved but who were mentioned in passing.
The judge said a handful of names should remain blacked out in the documents because they would identify people who were sexually abused. Before the unsealing, the names were listed in court papers as variants of J Doe. Many of the names on the list are people who had been publicly identified as Epstein associates prior to this unsealing through years of coverage of the case.
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Epstein was a millionaire known for associating with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and academic stars. He was initially arrested in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2005 after he was accused of paying a 14-year-old girl for sex. Dozens of underage girls described similar abuse, but prosecutors allowed the financier to plead guilty in 2008 to a charge involving a single victim.
He served 13 months in a jail work-release program. In 2019 he was arrested for sex trafficking of dozens of underage girls including some as young as 14, but later killed himself in a New York City jail. His girlfriend and accomplice Maxwell was found guilty of sex trafficking in 2021 and later sentenced to 20 years in prison.