Jeffrey Epstein's Estate Sued by Teala Davies for Child Sexual Abuse - thewrap

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  • Author: J. Clara Chan
  • November 22,2019

Jeffrey Epstein's Estate Sued by Teala Davies for Child Sexual Abuse - thewrap

Another woman has come forward to accuse Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing her “repeatedly” when she was 17 years old.

In a lawsuit filed on Thursday in the Southern District of New York, Teala Davies said that Epstein “raped and sexually assaulted her frequently and in a variety of places and settings, including by trafficking Teala to his homes in New York, New Mexico, Florida, the Virgin Islands, and France” in the early 2000s. She also said that a “well-known Hollywood producer,” who was unnamed, had “demanded and attempted to engage in abusive sexual behavior.”

Davies first came forward publicly in August shortly after Epstein’s death. She — alongside dozens of other women — shared their stories during a Manhattan court hearing for Epstein’s child trafficking case.

In her lawsuit, Davies says she was first introduced to Epstein in 2002 through her sister, who was also being sexually abused by him. “Teala was unaware that Epstein had been manipulating and sexually abusing her sister, as Epstein’s total power and control over Teala’s sister made it impossible for her to say anything about it,” the suit reads.

During their first interaction, Davies says that she and her sister met Epstein at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles and was asked by Epstein, fully clothed, to massage his feet. Afterward, Epstein took them shopping and told Davies he’d offer to pay for her to study abroad in Spain so she could achieve her dream of becoming a translator.

As she prepared to move to Spain for her study abroad program, Davies says she gave up her hairdressing job at the time and her apartment in Los Angeles. Davies was then invited to go to Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico during the summer of 2002. It was there that she was brought to a massage room, where Epstein fondled her genitals without her consent.

“Teala felt extremely vulnerable. Epstein had arranged the circumstances to ensure that Teala was completely at his mercy,” the suit says. “If Epstein decided to rethink his generosity at any point, Teala would have had nothing, and would have been left homeless and jobless once again, after being brought so close to her dream. Even though Epstein had preyed upon her and sexually assaulted her, Teala understood she had no choice but to submit to him. His power over her was all-encompassing.”

The abuse would continue throughout 2002, and around Dec. 2002, Davies says that Epstein first raped her at his Florida home when she was sleeping. In early 2003, after she began her study abroad program, Davies says she was flown to Paris to meet with Epstein and was again raped by him when she was sleeping.

After her program was over, Davies says she had no home or job to return to and had been groomed by Epstein to be completely dependent and submissive to him. She says she would continually be flown around the world at Epstein’s discretion and abused.

By 2004, the repeated abuse and rape caused Davies to have a severe eating disorder, the suit says. When she confided in Epstein about her disorder, the suit says that Epstein “cast her out within hours of her admission” and sent her back to Arizona, where she grew up where she began to abuse alcohol and self-harm.

“Ms. Davies is still in the nascent stages of understanding the deep and lasting injuries that Epstein’s pattern of abuse has caused her, but she feels the effects every day. She feels dysfunctional, on-edge, and constantly overwhelmed. She has difficulty sleeping. She often has flashbacks to Epstein’s sexual assaults. She feels like she is on the verge of a psychological breakdown,” the suit continues.

Davies is seeking compensatory and punitive damages from the Epstein estate.

In a press conference on Thursday, Davies said she was finally coming forward to help encourage other victims to speak up.

“I am here and I am ready to be heard. I am here to set an example and inspire all victims of sexual abuse to conquer their fear and tell someone,” Davies said. “It’s not only cleansing, but you will be heard, and people will listen. I am here for them.”

A lawyer for Epstein’s estate did not respond to a request for comment.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.


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