© Sion Touhig/Getty ImagesPhysicist Stephen Hawking smiles at a symposium to honor his birthday at the Center for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge January 11, 2002 in Cambridge, England.
The files were unveiled as part of the civil litigation against Maxwell who faces charges of aiding Epstein's sexual abuse of young girls.
They stem from a 2015 civil action brought against Maxwell by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre who has claimed she was lured by Maxwell at age 15 into becoming involved with the alleged sex ring.
Renowned physicist Hawking is listed in the document as per a request for Giuffre to provide photos and videos of her with a certain number of listed individuals.
The request states: "All photographs or video containing any image of You and the following individuals. To the extent You have such photographs and video in their original, native format, please produce them in that format (not a paper copy)."
Aside from Hawking, the other individuals listed in the request are Ghislaine Maxwell, Alan Dershowitz, Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew, Ron Eppinger, Bill Clinton and Al Gore.
In 2015, The Independent reported that Hawking was among the guests on the billionaire's private Caribbean island, Little St. James, in 2006. The trip was reportedly part of a science conference on the neighboring island St. Thomas.
The documents also contain personal emails between Epstein and Maxwell as well as information from a discussion between Giuffre and her lawyer
According to The Guardian, Manhattan federal court judge Loretta Preska ruled on July 23 to unseal the documents. She said: "The court finds that the countervailing interests identified fail to rebut the presumption of public access."
Maxwell was arrested by federal authorities on July 2 and charged with allegedly being involved in child sex trafficking. She pleaded not guilty on July 14 and remains in custody.
Giuffre has also claimed that she once saw former President Bill Clinton on Epstein's island with "two young girls."
In the questioning by lawyer Jack Scarola, Guiffre was asked: "Do you have any recollection of Jeffrey Epstein's specifically telling you that 'Bill Clinton owes me favors?'"
"Yes, I do," Guiffre responded. "It was a laugh though. He would laugh it off. You know, I remember asking Jeffrey what's Bill Clinton doing here [on Epstein's island] kind of thing, and he laughed it off and said well he owes me favors."
"He never told me what favors they were," Guiffre added. "I never knew. I didn't know if he was serious. It was just a joke... He told me a long time ago that everyone owes him favors. They're all in each other's pockets."
Giuffre also revealed that when she turned 16, Maxwell told her: "I'd soon be getting too old for Jeffrey's taste, and soon they'd have to trade me in."
Other high profile names listed in the unsealed files are former Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore and Prince Andrew.
Comment: See also: