The fund set up to compensate women who were sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein is closing down after paying out roughly $121 million to about 150 victims, the fund’s administrator announced Monday.
The announcement provided the most comprehensive accounting to date of the number of women and young girls who were allegedly sexually assaulted by Epstein.
The program drew more than double the number of claims than originally expected – a total of about 225, according to the fund’s independent administrator, Jordana Feldman. Of those who received offers of compensation, 92 percent accepted them, Feldman said.
In a statement, Feldman noted that the program allowed victims to resolve their claims outside of court “beyond the glare of public proceedings and without the costs and confrontation of litigation.”
“I am proud of what we were able to accomplish with this program, but also recognize that no amount of money will erase the years of pain these victims have endured because of Jeffrey Epstein,” Feldman added. “My hope is that the program provided his victims a meaningful measure of justice and a step on the path toward healing.”
Victims who accepted money from the fund were barred from suing Epstein’s estate, but they were permitted to share information with law enforcement agencies, participate in criminal investigations and share their stories publicly.
It was not made clear why some decided to turn down the offers. A total of about 75 claims were rejected.
"Claims were deemed ineligible for compensation if the allegations did not align with known information or otherwise did not meet the criteria set forth in the governing protocol," a spokesperson for the program said.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on charges that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of young girls in the early 2000s. The wealthy financier, whose social circle once included Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, died by suicide in a cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York in August 2019 days after a judge denied his request to await trial at his Manhattan mansion.
