Sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein victims program, shutting down with millions paid to the abuser
An independent compensation program for victims of late serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is winding down its operations after paying out more than $121 million to survivors of Epstein's sexual abuse, has learned.
The Epstein Victims' Compensation Program, since launching last year, has received approximately 225 applications from alleged victims from the United States and abroad. That astounding number was more than double the initial expectations of the fund's administrator and advocates for the victims.
"I think the number of certified victims of Epstein's sex trafficking is unspeakable. There really aren't words to describe the enormity of his crimes," said David Boies, chairman of Boies, Schiller, Flexner, a law firm that represents several alleged Epstein victims who participated in the program.
Of the 150 applicants deemed eligible for compensation, more than 92% accepted the offers. The executors of Epstein's estate paid the awards. Still, the claims were evaluated independently "free from any interference or control" by the estate, said Jordana Feldman, the program's designer and administrator.
"This was offered as a safe space and a confidential forum to resolve these disputes," said Feldman. "And I think as people gained confidence in the program, you saw numbers increase along the way, too."
The Epstein estate first proposed the compensation fund in fall 2019, a few months after Epstein died in a federal jail in New York while awaiting trial on conspiracy and child sex trafficking charges. The estate was then facing civil lawsuits from more than 30 women who alleged sexual abuse by Epstein.
"Had all of those cases been litigated. Clearly, it would have exhausted significant funds from the estate, leaving less for victims," said Brad Edwards, a Florida lawyer who guided more than 50 of his clients through the claims process. "For the most part, I think that it was successful. It was definitely worthwhile for everybody to participate, even those that ultimately rejected the determination."
Those who accepted the compensation offers were required to sign broad releases foreclosing their ability to bring any further claims against the Epstein estate or any of his former companies or employees, including those alleged to have conspired with Epstein. In at least three instances, women who filed lawsuits against Epstein's alleged accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, were required to drop their civil claims against her as a condition of receiving compensation from the program, according to court records.
Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to federal charges that she conspired with Epstein and aided his sexual abuse of four underage girls between 1994 and 2004. She is due to stand trial in late November. Maxwell's civil lawyers sought unsuccessfully to persuade a judge to require that two of the women likely witnesses at Maxwell's criminal trial disclose to Maxwell the amount of money they received from the program.
Among the handful of applicants who rejected offers from the program is an Edwards client who sued the Epstein estate in 2019 under Priscilla Doe's pseudonym. After turning down the compensation award, Doe opted to resume her civil lawsuit against the estate, and a cluster of Epstein's corporate entities she alleges were complicit in Epstein's sex trafficking.
"There were options. You could take it or leave it. And some chose to reject the offer and move forward," said Edwards, who estimated that eight to 10 of his clients declined the proposed awards. From the outset, the program had the support of Edwards, Boies and several other attorneys for the alleged victims.
"It was the safest space that I've ever been a part of where the client could share all intimate details, knowing that it was not being recorded, it was going to remain confidential, and somebody was going to listen," Edwards said.
"I think the process was susceptible to survivors. I think they were treated with respect," Boies said. "But you've got to keep in mind that the number of people who actually participated in the claims process was only a portion of the girls who were abused. Many of these girls have, for one reason or another, been unwilling to come forward. So the numbers here are horrific, but that is only part of the story about how extensive and terrible Epstein's sex trafficking was."
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