Overview
- The Justice Department’s Dec. 19 disclosure posted roughly 3,900 Epstein case files, including an undated image of Ratner embracing modeling agent Jean‑Luc Brunel.
- The photograph provides no date or location, and the released materials offer no additional context tying it to a specific event.
- Brunel, a longtime Epstein associate, died by suicide in a Paris jail in 2022 while facing charges of raping a minor.
- Ratner is directing Melania, his first feature since 2014, after years of industry fallout from 2017 misconduct allegations that he denies.
- Following the release, some files were removed from the DOJ portal, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche citing protections for victims.