Former Jeffrey Epstein neighbor James Patterson talks case, new book
Bestselling author James Patterson, who wrote a detailed book about Epstein's scandals in 2016, discusses the case and the newest book in his Alex Cross series on 'Watters' World.'
Nine more women have come forward with claims that they were sexually abused by convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, with one accuser saying she was just 13 when the abuse began.
The lawsuit, filed in New York state court in Manhattan on Tuesday, alleges incidents of sexual abuse between 1985 and 2007. The accusers are listed as Jane Doe I through Jane Doe IX and their claim is against Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, the executors of Epstein's estate, which is valued at $577 million.
Last month, Indyke and Kahn asked a U.S. Virgin Islands judge to establish a victim's compensation fund which they said would allow Epstein's accusers to proceed with "a confidential, non-adversarial alternative to litigation."
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Jordan Merson, a lawyer for the nine women, told Fox News that he was open to a fund "that has the goal in mind of asset allocation and not asset preservation ... If the idea is, 'We are going to give each of these women a little bit of money and make sure that it's OK,' that is unacceptable. All of my clients have been severely injured. Horrible mental issues that they live with on a daily basis as a result of what this man did to them.”
Merson said the suit “has been planned for months.”
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“These clients felt better filing a lawsuit together," he said. "They were all part of the same scheme. They have the right to file together. Some of these women knew each other.”
Seven of the accusers claim that “Epstein and his associates sexually assaulted, abused and battered” them. Six say they were raped, and two of those say the abuse happened “repeatedly.”
The earliest allegation against Epstein, made by Jane Doe II, dates from 1985 when she was 23 years old. Another allegation, made by Jane Doe I, dates from 1990 when she was 14 years old. The other seven accusers say their abuse by Epstein started between 2000 and 2007. Two of those accusers, Jane Doe III and Jane Doe IV, were 13 and 15 years old, respectively, when they met Epstein. The other five were between 19 and 22 years old.
More than a dozen other women already have brought claims against Epstein’s estate.
The lawsuit was filed one day after alleged victim Virginia Roberts, now known as Virginia Giuffre, detailed claims she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions nearly 20 years ago.
The interview with Giuffre, broadcast on BBC Panorama, painted a detailed portrait of how Epstein abused dozens of young women at his luxury properties in the Caribbean and New York. Giuffre, now 35, detailed a sexual encounter with Andrew at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's on-again-off-again lover who has also been described as a purveyor of underage girls.
"There was a bath,” she said. “It started there, then went into the bedroom. It didn’t last very long, the whole procedure. It was disgusting. ... He got up and he said 'Thanks'. I sat there in bed, just horrified and ashamed and felt dirty.”
In a statement provided to Fox News, Buckingham Palace reiterated Andrew’s previous denial of Roberts' allegations.
“It is emphatically denied that The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.”
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Epstein died Aug. 10 after being found unconscious in a Manhattan jail cell, where he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His death has been ruled a suicide.
U.S. officials are still looking into the case, and more civil lawsuits against Epstein’s estate are in progress.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
