Epstein Estate Reaches Settlement Over Lawsuit Alleging Adviser Involvement in Sex Trafficking

The legal representatives managing Jeffrey Epstein’s estate have consented to a settlement payment of up to $35 million to resolve allegations that they facilitated his purported sex trafficking network for nearly 20 years. This development marks a significant turn in the ongoing legal battles surrounding the notorious financier’s legacy.

Announced on Thursday in a Manhattan federal court, the proposed settlement, which awaits judicial approval, aims to conclude a lawsuit initiated in February 2024 against Epstein’s attorney Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn. Notably, Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial, had appointed Kahn and Indyke as co-executors of his estate just two days before his death.

According to a statement given to Reuters by Daniel H. Weiner, the attorney representing Indyke and Kahn, the settlement does not include any admission of wrongdoing by the defendants. Despite repeated attempts, The Hill has not received a response from Weiner for further comments.

The legal document detailing the agreement emphasizes that the co-executors are settling to provide compensation to Epstein’s victims of sexual abuse, assault, and trafficking, while also aiming to conclude all claims against the estate. The statement underscores that Indyke and Kahn maintain they have strong defenses against the allegations.

The original class action lawsuit alleged that Indyke and Kahn orchestrated a complex financial network that enabled Epstein to secretly compensate victims and recruiters, thereby ensuring their silence and securing substantial financial gains for himself and his associates.

“The Co-Executors maintain that they have meritorious defenses to the claims alleged in the Litigation and are entering into this Settlement Agreement to provide relief to those victims of Epstein’s sexual abuse, assault, and trafficking … and further to bring finality to any and all claims against the Estate,” the court filing reads. 

In the initial class action lawsuit, victims of Epstein accused Indyke and Kahn of organizing “the complex financial infrastructure” that allowed Epstein to pay victims and recruiters in exchange for silence and leave himself and his associates “richly compensated.”

The original complaint also accused Epstein’s former lawyer and accountant of facilitating “arranged and forced sham marriages” to get at least three of Epstein’s victims immigration status “so that they could continue to be available to Epstein for his abuse,” the documents show.

The victims will have to agree to drop any future claims and cannot have received prior settlements from the Epstein estate or the Epstein Victims Compensation Fund in order to be eligible for payment.

The latest deal, which could include payments from $25 million to $35 million depending on how many women are eligible, will be paid for by the estate’s remaining fortune, according to the settlement.

The news comes after another Epstein associate, billionaire retail mogul Les Wexner, testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and denied firsthand knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. Indyke and Kahn have also been issued subpoenas in lawmakers’ probe of the case.