The accusers of Jeffrey Epstein who accepted money from his estate’s victims compensation program also reportedly signed a release forbidding them from suing Ghislaine Maxwell.
The release requires victims to get permission from the executors of Epstein’s estate to sue anyone, according to an article published Wednesday by Insider. The two executors have reportedly refused to let any of the victims sue Maxwell. The victims’ compensation fund of $125 million was distributed to roughly 150 victims.
Victims who did not participate in the victims’ compensation program can still sue Maxwell and others.
Attorney David Boies represents 14 of the women sexually assaulted by Epstein, Insider reported. (RELATED: Maxwell Accuser Testifies About What Epstein Did To Her In A Movie Theater When She Was 16)
“The inability to hold Maxwell civilly accountable – it’s frustrating,” Boies told Insider. “I think that has, in the survivors’ minds, made accountability through the criminal process even more important.”
Other notable Epstein associates who are also allegedly barred from being sued include Sarah Kellen and Lesley Groff, Insider reported.
Daniel Weiner, an attorney for the executors of Epstein’s estate, says the decision is a way to avoid being included in future claims, according to Insider.
“It would make no sense for the Estate – and would be inconsistent with the Co-Executor’s fiduciary duties to the Estate, including its creditors and remaining claimants – to pay out over $120 million in awards under the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program, and then risk being dragged back into litigation when someone who provided services to Mr. Epstein got sued and then impleaded the Estate, alleging that he or she was acting at his direction,” Weiner said.
Maxwell is on trial for charges related to sex trafficking with Epstein. If found guilty on all counts, she could face up to 70 years in prison.