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 The executors, Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, said in a
statement that the fund would create a "voluntary, confidential,
non-adversarial alternative to litigation."
Epstein, 66, died by hanging himself in his Manhattan jail cell
on Aug. 10, two days after signing a will and putting his
estimated $577 million estate into a trust. He had been arrested
in July on federal sex trafficking charges, to which he pleaded
not guilty.
His estate is facing about a dozen lawsuits from women who say
Epstein sexually abused them, many while they were underage.
The proposed compensation fund, which must be approved by a U.S.
Virgin Islands court, would be overseen by administrators
including Jordana Feldman and Kenneth Feinberg, who have worked
on compensation funds for victims affected by the Sept. 11, 2001
terrorist attacks in New York.
Women who choose not to take part in the program would still be
allowed to pursue their claims against the estate in court,
according to Thursday's statement. It was not immediately clear
how much money would be available for the victim compensation
fund.
Attorney Roberta Kaplan, who represents one of the women suing
the estate, expressed skepticism of the plan.
"Given that this latest fund was launched without our input or
consent, we will keep an open mind because we are supportive of
attempts to fairly compensate these survivors, but both the
estate and the new administrators have a lot to prove," she said
in a press release.
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"If the estate is placing all estate assets into the claims
program for victims, then it is a step in the right direction,"
Brad Edwards, who represents multiple alleged victims, said in
an email. "In the meantime, we intend to get the filed cases to
trial quickly. Either way, justice for our clients, without
delay, is our goal."
Following his July 6 arrest, Epstein pleaded not guilty to sex
trafficking charges involving dozens of underage girls at his
mansions on Manhattan's Upper East Side and in Palm Beach,
Florida, over several years.
He had escaped federal prosecution by pleading guilty in 2008 to
Florida state prostitution charges, an agreement now widely
considered too lenient.
The financier once counted U.S. President Donald Trump and
former President Bill Clinton as friends. They have not been
accused of wrongdoing.
(Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Tom Brown)
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