Women May Sue Millionaire in Sex Case
Lawyers for Jeffrey Epstein may try to settle expected lawsuits.
Oct. 16, 2007— -- A number of young women who say they went to the Palm Beach, Fla., mansion of Jeffrey Epstein, the multimillionaire investor charged with soliciting prostitutes, are threatening to file civil lawsuits against Epstein, sources familiar with the case told ABC News.
Epstein's lawyers may try to settle with all the women at once, a person familiar with the negotiations confirmed to ABC News. The story was first reported by the New York Post.
Epstein is said to be negotiating a plea deal with Florida prosecutors that is expected to land him in prison for about 18 months. He was charged last year with one count of solicitation of prostitution, a felony that carries up to five years in prison, for allegedly paying underage girls to give him erotic massages. He has pleaded not guilty and has said he didn't know any of the girls were underage.
Lead attorney Gerald Lefcourt, the former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, did not return a call for comment Monday. He has previously declined to comment on the case.
Guy Fronstin, another of Epstein's lawyers, declined to comment.
It was not immediately clear how many women had contacted Epstein's attorneys, threatening to sue, but people familiar with the case said it was more than the five alleged victims described in police documents. A source told ABC News that most of the women who had threatened to sue were over 18.
An unnamed source told the Post, "You are a girl who is broke and who uses drugs. Here's your shot at getting some money."
A Palm Beach police report alleges that Epstein paid girls as young as 14 to give him massages, usually in their underwear. The report claims that Epstein had sexual contact with some of the girls.
Epstein, who owns what is reported to be the largest house in Manhattan, has assembled a team of top lawyers to fight the criminal charges. His attorneys have included Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz and Kenneth Starr, who investigated Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
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