Published 07:02 IST, August 17th 2019
Two women file new USD 100 million lawsuit against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein estate
Epstein, a convicted pedophile died last weekend from apparent suicide in a New York prison cell, where he was being held on charges of trafficking minors for sex.
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Two more women have filed a $100 million lawsuit against the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, accusing the tycoon of having sexually abused them 15 years ago. The lawsuit, filed in a Manhattan federal court, did not identify the two alleged victims.
It also did not name some 10 women also accused of being accomplices of Epstein, a convicted pedophile who died last weekend from apparent suicide in a New York prison cell, where he was being held on charges of trafficking minors for sex.
The age of the accusers was not listed in the lawsuit, but their lawyer Lisa Bloom said in a statement Friday they were 18 and 20 at the time of the alleged abuse.
They were working as hostesses in a Manhattan restaurant in 2004 when a woman described in the lawsuit as a "recruiter" for Epstein approached them.The recruiter allegedly offered the pair, who were hoping to launch careers as models, hundreds of dollars each to go to Epstein's home and give him a massage, assuring them there would be no sexual contact.
Two days later they went to Epstein's luxurious mansion near Central Park. Once they were in the massage room, the eight-page lawsuit said, Epstein was sexually aggressive towards them before giving them several hundred dollars.
The complaint said the women were so "terrified" by Epstein and his power at the time that they did not report the abuse. It was only after his arrest in July that they realized the seriousness of the charges against him.
Last week, a 32-year-old woman filed a similar suit against Epstein's estate, saying he had sexually abused and raped her when she was a teenager. The lawsuit by Jennifer Araoz was also directed at Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell and three other unidentified accomplices.
Bloom said the estate should set up a special fund to address the growing number of lawsuits against Epstein if it wanted to avoid years of court battles.
Epstein's death being probed
Epstein's death is still under investigation. US media reported that the coroner found broken bones in his neck, consistent with hanging or strangulation but the coroner has warned against jumping to conclusions.
07:02 IST, August 17th 2019