JPMorgan Chase Reaches $290 Million Settlement with Epstein Victims

JPMorgan Chase reached a settlement with an unnamed victim of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, agreeing to pay $290m. 

Details: The plaintiff victim, which became victims when the judge turned the case into a class-action lawsuit, alleged the bank facilitated the criminal operations of Epstein and ignored warning signs from 1998 to 2013, during which time Epstein had hundreds of millions of dollars in over 50 accounts at the bank. Epstein died in 2019 while in custody in what was ruled a suicide. JPMorgan denies any knowledge of Epstein’s sex trafficking operations and is not admitting liability, but the bank released a statement announcing the settlement and expressing regret regarding its association with Epstein. 

Key Quotes: “We all now understand that Epstein’s behavior was monstrous,” the statement read, adding, “Any association with him was a mistake and we regret it. We would never have continued to do business with him if we believed he was using our bank in any way to help commit heinous crimes.” The victims’ lawyer, David Boies, told NPR (Lean Left bias) the case is “an object lesson of how much farther we need to go, as a society, to really implement the rule of law — not just for the rich and powerful, but for the weak and the vulnerable.”

How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum covered the settlement agreement. The Daily Caller (Right bias) included a note about “bizarre communications” between Epstein and former JP Morgan executive Jes Staley.