The Maria Farmer lawsuit is a Federal Tort Claims Act case filed on May 29, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, in which one of the earliest Jeffrey Epstein accusers is suing the United States for $600 million. Farmer alleges that the FBI’s failure to act on the report she made in 1996 allowed Epstein to continue trafficking and abusing young women for nearly 30 more years. The case, Farmer v. United States, No. 1:25-cv-01709, is assigned to Judge Reggie B. Walton and names the United States as defendant on behalf of the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.1CourtListener. Farmer v. United States2Marsh Law Firm. Farmer v. United States Complaint
What Farmer Reported in 1996
On August 29, 1996, Farmer, then a young painter, reported Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to the NYPD’s Sixth Precinct after Epstein called her and threatened to burn her paintings. The NYPD directed her to the FBI.3Just Security. Maria Farmer FTCA Claim Form According to her later complaint, Farmer contacted the FBI at least twice, and during one call an agent hung up on her mid-sentence.4Just Security. Timeline: Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell
She told investigators that Epstein and Maxwell had sexually assaulted her that summer at an Ohio estate owned by Les Wexner, where Epstein had installed her as an “artist in residence.”5Yahoo News. Wexner’s Deposition Revisits Epstein Accusers She also reported that Epstein had stolen photographs she had taken of her younger sisters, then aged 12 and 16, and that he had asked her to take “pictures of young girls at swimming pools.”6The Guardian. Epstein FBI Maria Farmer Annie Farmer
An FBI intake document stamped September 3, 1996, recorded the complaint. It described a professional artist whose photographs of her underage sisters Epstein “stole” and “is believed to have sold” to potential buyers, and noted his threat to burn down her house if she talked.7The New York Times. Epstein FBI Complaint 1996 Maria Farmer6The Guardian. Epstein FBI Maria Farmer Annie Farmer The Bureau did not follow up for a full decade.8House Oversight Democrats. Garcia Letter to DOJ OIG Re Maria Farmer
When agents did come to her home in North Carolina on November 11, 2006, they told her they had tracked her down because of her 1996 complaint and that no one else had come forward. They asked her to testify in what they said would be a federal criminal trial. That trial never happened. In 2007, U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta signed a non-prosecution agreement letting Epstein plead to state solicitation charges; he served 13 months of an 18-month sentence, frequently on work release, and the deal shielded him and “any potential co-conspirators” from future federal prosecution by Acosta’s office.9House Oversight Democrats. The Price of Non-Prosecution10U.S. Congress. Congressional Record – Maria Farmer Testimony
What the Lawsuit Alleges
Farmer’s complaint pleads negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress, arguing that federal agencies failed to protect victims for more than two decades. The specific claims include:
- Failure to investigate. The FBI ignored her 1996 report of sexual assault, child exploitation, and child pornography, in violation of the Bureau’s mandatory internal investigative guidelines.
- Concealment. Federal authorities told victims the investigation was ongoing while simultaneously finalizing the non-prosecution agreement with Epstein, and did not inform survivors of the deal until well after it was signed.9House Oversight Democrats. The Price of Non-Prosecution
- Prosecutorial misconduct. The Southern District of Florida never coordinated with the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division or its Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and granted Epstein a non-prosecution agreement even though he was not a cooperating witness.
The complaint seeks compensation in an amount to be determined at trial.11NBC News. Jeffrey Epstein Accuser Sues Federal Government Farmer’s individual Standard Form 95 administrative claim, filed October 26, 2023, put the figure at $600 million; the government did not respond, clearing the way for the federal suit.13Just Security. Maria Farmer FTCA Claim Form
Where the Case Stands
The suit is pending, but has not yet reached the merits. In July 2025, the D.C. court ordered Farmer to show cause why the case should not be transferred to the Southern District of New York, where a related survivor case was already on file. A hearing was held on August 8, 2025, and the court took the venue question under advisement. As of the most recent docket entry in February 2026, no ruling had been issued.12CourtListener. Farmer v. United States
Farmer told Congress in May 2026 that “virtually nothing has happened, and I’m left waiting and wondering what is next.”10U.S. Congress. Congressional Record – Maria Farmer Testimony
The Related Survivor Lawsuit
More than three dozen Epstein survivors filed a separate but related suit, accusing the federal government of negligence for the FBI’s failure to investigate tips received in 1996 and 2005, and seeking more than $320 million in damages. On June 4, 2026, the government moved to dismiss, arguing that the executive branch has “absolute discretion to decide whether to investigate,” that FBI agents are “not required to investigate every complaint,” and that the claims are barred by the statute of limitations.14Palm Beach Post. Epstein Victims FBI Negligence Ignored Tips Those arguments preview the defenses Farmer is likely to face. The judge in the group case had not ruled on the motion as of the reporting date.
The 1996 Document That Surfaced in December 2025
On November 19, 2025, President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, requiring the Attorney General to release all unclassified DOJ records related to Epstein and Maxwell within 30 days. The law barred withholding on grounds of “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.”15The Hill. Epstein Files Transparency Act
The Justice Department released a partial batch on December 19, 2025. Among the documents was the September 3, 1996, FBI intake form recording Farmer’s complaint. The complainant’s name was redacted, but her attorney Jennifer Freeman confirmed it was Farmer’s report. The FBI had never previously acknowledged the document’s existence, and the government had earlier denied it existed.7The New York Times. Epstein FBI Complaint 1996 Maria Farmer16CNN. Maria Farmer Epstein Survivor Complaint “I’ve waited 30 years,” Farmer said. “They can’t call me a liar anymore.”
Farmer maintains the government has still not released her complete file, including records from 2006. A FOIA request she submitted earlier received a government response estimating a November 2027 completion date.10U.S. Congress. Congressional Record – Maria Farmer Testimony
Congressional and Inspector General Pressure
On December 23, 2025, four days after the document release, Rep. Robert Garcia, ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, wrote to Acting DOJ Inspector General William Blier asking for a formal investigation into the FBI’s handling of Farmer’s case. Garcia asked the IG to examine why the Bureau failed to investigate the 1996 allegations, whether the failures resulted from misconduct, gross negligence, or systemic problems, and why later DOJ internal reviews never addressed those failures.8House Oversight Democrats. Garcia Letter to DOJ OIG Re Maria Farmer No public response from the Inspector General has been reported.
On May 12, 2026, Farmer testified by video at an unofficial field hearing held by House Oversight Committee Democrats in West Palm Beach. “For three decades, I carried a weight that no survivor should ever have to bear,” she said. “I reported what I believed were heinous crimes against children … and the government continues to ignore me to this day.”17Spectrum News. Jeffrey Epstein House Field Hearing Accusers Palm Beach Florida Committee Democrats released a report the same day, The Price of Non-Prosecution, arguing that Acosta’s plea deal allowed Epstein to expand from a local trafficking operation to a global one.18The Guardian. Jeffrey Epstein Survivor Palm Beach Hearing
Who Represents Farmer
Farmer is represented by the Marsh Law Firm, a New York City practice founded by James R. Marsh that specializes in child sexual exploitation cases. Attorney Jennifer Freeman has led the firm’s work on Farmer’s behalf, and authored a May 2023 letter to the FBI, DOJ, and Inspector General demanding an investigation into the Bureau’s inaction.19Marsh Law Firm. Persistent Advocacy Vindicated Freeman has said publicly that if the FBI had properly investigated the 1996 report, “over 1,000 victims could have been spared and 30 years of trauma avoided.”6The Guardian. Epstein FBI Maria Farmer Annie Farmer