Judge allows Epstein victims to sue Bank of America

On Wednesday, an American judge ruled that allegations against Bank of America of recklessly ignoring information that the late financier Jeffrey Epstein was trafficking women for sexual purposes are sufficient to proceed with the proposed class action lawsuit.

Judge Jed Rakoff explained his January 29 decision, which allowed Epstein's victims to proceed with two claims: that the second-largest bank in the US knowingly profited from Epstein's trafficking of people for sexual exploitation and obstructed the enforcement of federal law protecting victims of human trafficking.

Rakoff also dismissed four other claims against Bank of America and an entire similar lawsuit against Bank of New York Mellon. He has not yet ruled on the merits of the remaining claims. The court has set the trial date for May 11.

The bank says it looks forward to a full review of the facts and denies that it intentionally obstructed law enforcement. The plaintiff, appearing as Jane Doe, claims that the bank provided Epstein with above-standard services, allowed her to obtain "premium" client status and transfer large sums of money, even though it had reason to know about his activities.

According to the judge, the lawsuit also credibly describes how "the bank overlooked media reports and suspicious transfers to the account of a supposedly impoverished young woman." Epstein died in custody in August 2019, with an autopsy ruling his death a suicide.

(reuters, lud)