Hundreds of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been released by a New York court, with damning claims about a series of high profile establishment names.

Newly released evidence from a defamation case in the US names former American President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew among dozens of people alleged to have been associates of the sex-trafficker.

Epstein socialised with Wall Street titans, royalty and celebrities before pleading guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.

He took his own life in 2019 at age 66 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.

The names of more than 150 people mentioned in a lawsuit by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's most prominent accusers, were kept under seal for years until a federal judge ruled last month that there was no legal justification to keep them private.

The bombshell documents show Epstein accuser Johanna Sjoberg claimed she was told Bill Clinton "liked them young" and that Prince Andrew put his hand on her breast to pose for a photo.

Both Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew have always denied any wrongdoing.

More documents are expected to be unsealed or unredacted in the coming days.