Epstein estate reaches settlement of up to $35 million with survivors
By Kaanita Iyer, CNN
(CNN) — The estate of Jeffrey Epstein agreed on Thursday to pay up to $35 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by survivors of the late convicted sex offender.
The complaint, which was first filed in 2024, alleges that Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, co-executors of Epstein’s estate, “facilitated” Epstein’s “sex trafficking and abuse” and “were also integral in allowing Epstein to escape justice for years by concealing his litany of crimes.”
Indyke and Kahn denied the allegations in Thursday’s filing, adding that they were not involved in “the Epstein sex trafficking venture in any way” and that they do not believe “any Class Member has suffered any harm, injury, or damages as a result of their conduct.” The settlement would resolve all claims against the two defendants and the estate. A judge must now sign off on the agreement.
It comes amid the fallout from the Justice Department’s release of millions of pages of files related to Epstein in document dumps over the course of the last year. The files include numerous prominent names, and revelations have prompted several executives to step down.
The parties agreed on a settlement of up to $35 million, according to a court filing Thursday. The final figure depends on the number of survivors that signed onto the class-action lawsuit, and it could be as low as $25 million if there are less than 40 “Eligible Class Members.”
CNN has reached out to lawyers representing the survivors, along with attorneys for Indyke and Kahn for comment.
Several survivors have already received compensation since Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while awaiting his sex trafficking trial.
In November 2019, attorneys for Epstein’s estate executors filed a request to pursue a survivor compensation fund to avoid litigation and the program started in June 2020. By early 2021, payouts were paused because the estate was low on cash. Before the pause, over 150 claims were filed and the program paid out over $50 million to eligible claimants.
Survivors have also reached settlements with two banks where Epstein was a client: JP Morgan Chase, which agreed to pay $290 million to settle a class-action lawsuit, and Deutsche Bank, which reached a $75 million settlement.
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CNN’s Lauren del Valle and Chris Isidore contributed to this report.
