The estate of late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein—whose criminal enterprise has implicated scores of associates over decades—agreed Thursday to a proposed class action settlement that could pay up to $35 million to women who say they were trafficked and sexually abused by Epstein. The settlement only covers the estate executors, Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, and does not shield any other individuals named in the Epstein files from potential liability.
The agreement, announced Thursday evening, must still be approved by a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and would resolve a 2024 civil lawsuit against Indyke and Kahn. The estate would pay $35 million if 40 or more women qualify as class members, or $25 million if fewer are deemed eligible.
Photo by rupertomiller@hotmail. 6672 6121 hijo 66852945 is licensed under CC CC0 1.0
The agreement bars victims from pursuing claims against Indyke, Epstein’s longtime lawyer, and Kahn, his accountant, who were accused of facilitating and concealing Epstein’s trafficking operation for their own financial gain.
The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, a Biden appointee who previously oversaw the federal sex trafficking trial of entertainment executive Sean Combs.
The civil complaint, filed by Boies Schiller, alleged that Indyke and Kahn were “personally essential to the Epstein Enterprise’s success,” creating complex bank accounts and cash flows to support Epstein’s trafficking operations and evade oversight.
The settlement comes amid renewed scrutiny of Epstein’s associates. Former Prince Andrew, arrested in the U.K. on suspicion of misconduct in public office, has been at the center of recent Epstein files coverage. Billionaire Les Wexner—whose name appears more than 1,000 times in the released files—testified before Congress this week that he was “duped by a world-class con man.”
The executors previously reached a $290 million settlement in 2023, resolving a separate class action brought by a Jane Doe claimant, coinciding with Judge Jed Rakoff granting class certification.
Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for recruiting and grooming underage girls for abuse and later sentenced to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors said Maxwell earned roughly $30.7 million facilitating—and sometimes participating in—the abuse of girls and young women.
Separately, the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program announced in August 2021 that it had awarded nearly $125 million to about 150 eligible claimants since its launch in June 2020.
Epstein died in a Manhattan federal jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Discover more from SW Newsmagazine
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
