JPMorgan reaches settlement with Jeffrey Epstein victims
JPMorgan Chase has agreed to pay $290 million to settle a class-action lawsuit from Jeffrey Epsteinās sexual abuse victims, according to David Boies, one of the victimsā attorneys.
The victims had accused the bank of enabling sex trafficking by the deceased financier when he was a client.
A joint statement from the nationās largest bank and attorneys for the victims said they āhave informed the court that they have reached an agreement in principle to settle the putative class action lawsuit related to Jeffrey Epsteinās crimes.ā
The agreement is subject to court approval. Under terms of the settlement, JPMorgan Chase will not admit liability in the case, but upon the settlementās approval the bank will put out a statement regretting its association with Epstein, Boies told CNN.
The bank and the victimsā lawyers said the settlement is in the best interests of all parties, āespecially the survivors who were the victims of Epsteinās terrible abuse,ā according to the joint statement.
Itās hard to say how many victims will ultimately benefit from the settlement funds, but more than 100 women are expected to seek compensation. Many women who filed a claim with Epsteinās estate through the Epstein Victimsā Compensation Program are likely to be included in the two pending bank settlements, Boies said.
The lawyers representing the victims issued their own statement, calling the settlement ālife-changing and historic.ā
āMoney, which for far too long flowed with impunity between Jeffrey Epsteinās global sex trafficking enterprise and Wall Streetās leading banks, is decisively being used for good,ā said Sigrid McCawley, managing partner at the firm Boies Schiller Flexner. āThe settlements signal that financial institutions have an important role to play in spotting and shutting down sex trafficking.ā
āIt has taken a long time, too long, but today is a great day for Jeffrey Epstein survivors, and a great day for justice,ā said Boies.
Victims of Epstein had previously reached a with Deutsche Bank. There is expected overlap of victims eligible to file a claim in the settlements with both banks, according to Boies.
Federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who is hearing the case, Monday approved a class of eligible victims defined as āall women who were sexually abused or trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein during the time when JP Morgan maintained [accounts] for Epstein and/or Epstein-related entities.ā That period runs from January 1, 1998, through August 19, 2013, as well as the subsequent period until his death on August 10, 2019.ā
USVI case pending
Litigation is still pending between JPMorgan and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein had a home.
The bank continues to pursue its case against , a former JPMorgan executive and ex-Barclays CEO who the suit said is largely responsible for JPMorganās 15-year financial relationship with Epstein.
āThe information and support the U.S. Virgin Islands and its legal team provided to the survivors was enormously valuable, and we recognize the importance of the governmentās continued litigation against JPMorgan Chase to prevent future crimes,ā Brad Edwards, the victimās attorney, told CNN in a statement.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Virgin Islands attorney general said the office was āgratifiedā to hear of the U.S. settlement.
āThe U.S. Virgin Islands will continue to proceed with its enforcement action to ensure full accountability for JPMorganās violations of law and prevent the bank from assisting and profiting from human trafficking in the future,ā the spokesperson said, adding that the attorney generalās office āis committed to protecting women and girls who could otherwise become victims going forward.ā
Epsteinās crimes
Epstein was on charges of sex trafficking minors. He died in prison soon after his arrest in what authorities have .
Epstein faced criminal charges involving sexual misconduct long before his 2019 arrest: He pleaded guilty to two state prostitution charges in 2008 and served just 13 months in prison. And he was released during the day in order to during that time in prison. He was also registered as a sex offender and paid restitution to the victims identified by the FBI.
In an eight-hour deposition in the case last month, testified that he had never personally met or spoken over the phone with Epstein and that he was not aware in real time of bank compliance evaluations of Epsteinās account and his criminal conduct dating back to 2006.
Dimon said he only became aware of the bankās relationship with Epstein when he saw news stories in 2019 around the time of Epsteinās arrest on federal charges in New York.
āAnd the reason I remember that is I was surprised that I didnāt know about it before,ā he said, according to the transcript.
Lawyers for the victims recently filed to a second time.
āā¶Ä
CNNās Kara Scannell contributed to this report.