Newly released financial documents and photos are reigniting interest in the late Jeffrey Epstein's wealth, while a landmark trial in Los Angeles is examining the mental health effects of social media, and a defense attorney is arguing for a guilty verdict to be overturned in the Alex Murdaugh case. These are some of the top stories making headlines.
Financial documents and photos obtained from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019, are drawing renewed attention to how he amassed his wealth, according to CBS News. Epstein, accused of abusing dozens of teenage girls, was a politically connected multimillionaire who associated with prominent figures despite not graduating from college.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, a trial examining the mental health effects of Instagram and YouTube began this week. Lawyers for the plaintiffs are arguing that the social media platforms created "addiction machines" designed to hook children, according to BBC Technology. Mark Lanier, representing the plaintiff "K.G.M.," stated, "These companies built machines designed to addict the brains of children, and they did it on purpose." Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, testified in court on Wednesday. Lawyers for Meta, the parent company of Instagram, have argued that the plaintiff's issues stemmed from other factors in her life, not her use of the platform, according to BBC Business.
In South Carolina, Alex Murdaugh's defense attorney, Dick Harpootlian, is calling on the state Supreme Court to overturn his guilty verdict in the June 2021 murders of his wife and son, Fox News reported. Harpootlian argued that alleged jury tampering by a former court clerk could be grounds for overturning the verdict.
In other news, US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi to apologize to Epstein's victims for her department's handling of sensitive documents, according to Al Jazeera. Bondi accused the lawmaker of theatrics in response.
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