Women say celebrity hairstylist groomed Epstein victims to make them look ‘as young as possible’

In a complaint filed in New York Supreme Court, seven women claim Frédéric Fekkai played a "pivotal role” in Jeffrey Epstein’s grooming schemes.MANHATTAN (CN) — Seven women sued French celebrity hairdresser Frédéric Fekkai Tuesday, claiming he allowed disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein to use his salons “as a network to manipulate, coerce and commit acts of gender-motivated violence” against young women and girls.In a 17-page lawsuit filed in New York Supreme Court, the suing women claim Fekkai and one of his employees, Patrick Coombs, played a “pivotal role in Epstein’s grooming schemes by routinely providing salon services to women at Epstein’s instruction.”“Fekkai groomed the victims to look as young as possible under Epstein’s direction,” the women claim. “Epstein would direct Fekkai to bleach victims blond and groom them like dolls into Epstein’s and others’ liking.”The women called Fekkai an “enabler” of Epstein’s prolific sexual abuse for over 15 years. They claim he capitalized on his relationship with Epstein to grow his line of hair products, including by getting it into stores like Victoria’s Secret, owned by longtime Epstein confidant Les Wexner.“Without Epstein, Fekkai Brands would not have grown into the billion-dollar beauty product mainstay,” they argue.But “without Fekkai, Epstein would not have been able to control and commit gender-motivated violence against the victims,” the women add. “Fekkai, his employees and his entities, enabled Epstein to build a vast and sophisticated sex trafficking operation which he used ruthlessly to commit acts of gender-motivated violence upon plaintiffs, causing them significant and life-long injuries.”Five of the seven women are suing anonymously. One of the named plaintiffs is Kersti Ferguson, a former model who claims Epstein “committed gender-motivated violence against her” for two decades, starting when she was around 16 years old. The other is former Playboy Playmate Audra Christiansen, who recently claimed in an interview that she told the FBI about Epstein as early as 2005, but her tips were ignored.Together, they claim Fekkai’s flagship Manhattan salon was “the epicenter for victim grooming,” where Epstein would frequently bring groups of young women and “have them sit on his lap and stroke his hair.”“Fekkai and Coombs collaborated with Epstein so that the plaintiffs looked young and how he wanted them so that they could be sexually abused and have gender-motivated violence committed against them,” they claim.The women are suing for damages under New York’s Gender-Motivated Violence Act, which allows victims of gender-based violence to pursue civil actions past the standard statute of limitations.“If not for defendants acting as a cog in the perks machine, Epstein would not have been able to run a sex trafficking operation and commit gender-motivated violence against hundreds of women and minor girls, including plaintiffs,” they claim.A representative for Fekkai didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.The women’s lawsuit comes just a day after U.S. Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, named 14 supposed co-conspirators of Epstein’s, whom he urged the Department of Justice to investigate. One of them was Fekkai.But Fekkai has been tied to Epstein for longer than that. Earlier this year, during a closed-door interview with House Republicans, Epstein’s former aide Sarah Kellen reportedly accused Fekkai of sexually assaulting her in the early 2000s.He denied any wrongdoing. At the time, a media representative told CNN that Fekkai was “astonished” to hear of Kellen’s testimony to lawmakers and that “he did nothing wrong.”Fekkai’s Manhattan salon was also a topic of discussion in the Justice Department’s release of documents related to the Epstein investigation, referred to broadly as the “Epstein Files.” The women behind Tuesday’s lawsuit claim the department released more than 3,000 documents and emails related to that salon.Categories / Courts, Law, NationalSubscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads