Language in JPMorgan Chase’s $290 million class-action settlement in the Jeffrey Epstein case limits governments from seeking damages from sex trafficking, attorneys general from 16 states and Washington, D.C., argued in a letter made public Monday and seen by Reuters.
“Jeffrey Epstein's surviving victims should be fully compensated for the profound harm they have suffered,” New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez wrote. “However, as it now stands, the settlement agreement improperly seeks to release [the states’] claims for victim-specific relief.”
Deutsche Bank's $75 million settlement with alleged Epstein victims does not include similar language, Torrez asserted, in the letter, also signed by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont and Washington, D.C.
The language deters attorneys from seeking damages across the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, not just in Epstein’s case, Torrez wrote.
Judge Jed Rakoff of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York must give final approval on the settlement for it to be valid. Rakoff ordered JPMorgan and Epstein's accusers to address the states’ objection by Nov. 6. A hearing to consider final approval is set for Nov. 9, according to court records.
JPMorgan did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Lawyers for Epstein’s accusers did not immediately respond to similar requests.
