According to JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Deutsche Bank AG, the banks allowed and disregarded warning signs about the late financier’s sex trafficking and sought a U.S. judge to reject cases brought by women who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexual assault, Reuters reports.
The banks claimed in documents submitted on Friday night to a federal court in Manhattan that they did not take part in or profit from the sex trafficking committed by their former customer and that the nameless women had not made any claims of breaking any federal anti-trafficking laws.
In addition, the banks asserted that they were not obligated to defend the women from Epstein’s abuse and that they were not to blame for it. As a result, the claims arising under a new New York law that permits abuse victims to file lawsuits even after the statute of limitations has passed had to be dismissed.
“Jane Doe 1 is a survivor of Epstein’s sexual abuse, and she is entitled to justice,” but filed meritless claims against the “wrong party,” JPMorgan said in its filing.
According to their attorney, the facts stated in the women’s charges speak for themselves.
“We are disappointed in the banks’ continuing effort to avoid taking responsibility for their role in the expansion and perpetuation of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring,” David Boies, the lawyer, said in a statement to Reuters.
In both cases, class-action status and unspecified damages are demanded. They were submitted by attorneys who have defended several Epstein allegations on November 24.
In August 2019, while awaiting his sex trafficking trial, Epstein committed suicide in a detention cell in Manhattan.
From around 2000 to 2013, Epstein was a client of JPMorgan, and from 2013 to 2018, according to court documents, he was a client of Deutsche Bank.
Former ballet dancers who filed lawsuits against JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank allege that Epstein subjected them to abuse and human trafficking between 2006 and 2013, while the JPMorgan plaintiff claims that this occurred between 2003 and 2018.
Both said that the banks provided Epstein’s victims with multiple cash payments.
In July 2020, the financial watchdog for New York state penalized Deutsche Bank $150 million for its business dealings with Epstein.
In a lawsuit filed against JPMorgan on Tuesday, the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein had a residence, said that the bank ignored his human trafficking despite providing financial services.
These proceedings are Jane Doe 1 v. Deutsche Bank AG et al., U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 22-10018, and Jane Doe 1 v. JPMorgan Chase & Co., in the same court, No. 22-10019.
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