Fund to pay Epstein victims says it has paid $125M to more than 135 people

The fund set up to pay victims of Jeffrey Epstein has allocated nearly $125 million to roughly 150 eligible claimants in the year since the program was established.

Jordana Feldman, the independent administrator of the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program, announced its progress in a press release Monday. The program said 92 percent of eligible claimants accepted their compensation offers, which totaled more than $121 million.

The claimant-facing operations are now finished, according to the group.

Epstein was charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy in 2019 before being found unconscious in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The program operated independently from Epstein’s estate but was funded by his estate. The program received about 225 claims, which “far exceeded” the 100 it had expected to be filed. The claims were typically processed within 60 to 90 days, during which the claim was reviewed, the claimant met with the administration and a determination was issued.

The program paid expenses of between $8 million and $9 million, The Associated Press reported, citing Feldman. The amount each victim was awarded was reportedly determined after consulting a number of factors, such as the victim’s age, the severity, frequency and impact of the abuse, the extent of collaboration and the credibility of the accusation.

“This important, independent Program allowed victims/survivors who were sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein to resolve their claims outside of court through a voluntary, confidential, fair, empathetic and expeditious process — beyond the glare of public proceedings and without the costs and confrontation of litigation. Every claimant had an opportunity to be heard in a safe space, to share the intimate, personal, often harrowing accounts of what they endured and how it has affected them,” Feldman said in the statement.

“I was continually struck by the resilience and courage of the victims who put their faith and trust in this process,” she added.

Feldman said she made sure to protect the privacy of the victims who spoke to the program. According to the AP, she did not record the meetings with the claimants because she did not want extra copies of the conversations to exist.

She said when the claimants were told their conversations would not be recorded, it caused them to “kind of relax their shoulders a little bit,” according to the AP.

“I do think that there was a sense of comfort knowing that this was a safe space to share their stories. And I think that the process was exhausting but empowering for many of these victims. Empowerment in having come forward and reclaiming a sense of control and ownership in their own narrative,” she said.

In her statement, Feldman said confidentiality was “a cornerstone of the Program, allowing victims who otherwise may have been reluctant to come forward to participate without fear of public exposure.”

“Given the history of the Epstein case, we were also particularly mindful of the importance of providing claimants transparency into the claims process and offering them an opportunity to tell their stories. Every decision made and every action taken was rooted in these guiding principles,” she added.

The fund, according to the AP, was established to serve as an alternative to lawsuits, since legal action can take years to be resolved and come to a payout.

Feldman noted in her statement that while she is proud of the program’s work, it will not “erase the years of pain” the victims of Epstein’s abuse suffered from.

“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. My hope is that the Program provided his victims a meaningful measure of justice and a step on the path toward healing,” she said.

British socialite and a close confidant of Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, now awaits trial in connection to her alleged work helping him recruit and sexually abuse underage girls.

She is facing an eight-count indictment for her connection with Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme. She is currently being held in a New York prison after being arrested last year.

Maxwell’s trial is set to begin in the fall. She has been denied bail on a number of occasions.