Jeffrey Epstein was a customer of the German bank from 2013 to 2018.
(Photo: imago images/Levine-Roberts)
new York Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase have filed a motion to dismiss lawsuits in the United States related to their dealings with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. They had neither participated in nor benefited from their former client’s sex trade, the two banks said in documents filed with a federal court in Manhattan on Friday evening.
A group of unnamed women filed lawsuits against the banks at the end of November. They accuse them of profiting financially from the late hedge fund manager who was accused of sexually exploiting young people.
JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank argued that the women could not show that the institutes violated human trafficking laws. They are not responsible for Epstein’s abuse and have no obligation to protect women from Epstein. A lawyer for the women said the Nov. 24 lawsuit speaks for itself. It is disappointing that the banks continue to refuse to take responsibility in this context.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to forcing a minor into prostitution. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Arrested again on sex trafficking allegations, he committed suicide in custody in August 2019, aged 66.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Epstein was a client of JPMorgan from around 2000 to 2013 and Deutsche Bank from 2013 to 2018. “It was a serious mistake that we accepted him as a customer in 2013 – it should never have happened,” wrote CEO Christian Sewing to the employees in 2020. In July 2020, the New York banking regulator fined the bank $150 million for misconduct in its relationship with Epstein, among other things.
More: Deutsche Bank has to pay a fine of millions for its relationship with Epstein