Epstein estate agrees to $35m settlement payout for victims

The estate of convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has agreed to pay up to $35 million to settle the outstanding legal claims of potentially dozens of victims, according to a court filing Thursday.

The agreement must be approved by a federal judge in New York before it can become final.

The settlement is related to victims who said they were “sexually assaulted or abused or trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein between January 1, 1995, and through August 10, 2019,” the date of the disgraced financier’s death in prison, the proposed plan said.

Epstein’s estate would pay $35 million if there are 40 or more people eligible in the class and $25 million if there are fewer than 40.

The co-executors of the settlement are Darren Indyke, Epstein’s former lawyer, and Richard Kahn, the financier’s former accountant.

Both have denied any wrongdoing through their association with the convicted sex offender and have not been accused of any sexual abuse crimes or witnessing of sexual abuse.

But the settlement, if confirmed, will bring to a close the initial lawsuit filed in 2024 in which the pair of advisors were accused of enabling Epstein’s illicit activities through their legal and business services.

The judgment filed in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday said the agreement does not mean the co-executors admit fault or are liable to further legal action from victims.

The law firm representing the class of victims, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how many people were part of the lawsuit.

Bloomberg News reported late Thursday that the firm was confident they had at least 40 victims who had not yet settled with Epstein’s estate.

Daniel H. Weiner, the lawyer representing the co-executors, did not immediately reply to a comment request.

The settlement comes after the release by the US Justice Department of millions of documents, photographs and videos related to the investigation into Epstein.

Epstein cultivated a global network of powerful politicians, business executives, academics and celebrities — many of whom have been tainted by their association with him.

AFP