Radia Perlman's papers present an approach where consumers of encrypted files would go to an "Ephemerizer" to get the appropriate keys. The Ephemerizer would conveniently and securely forget those keys when it's time to expire the file.
"The Ephemerizer: Making Data Disappear", Radia Perlman "File System Design with Assured Delete", Radia PerlmanChapter 3 of Zachary Peterson's dissertation presents several issues and methods associated with Secure Deletion using encryption and secure overwriting.
"Secure Deletion for a Federally Compliant Storage System"