Three women sued the estate of Jeffrey Epstein on Tuesday, claiming that he sexually abused them before and after his infamous 2007 plea deal.
According to a Reuters report, two of the women claimed Epstein was abusing them while on work release, while the third claimed their sexual relations resumed after Epstein was fully let out of jail. This lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, alleges that two of the women were 17 when they met Epstein, while a third was 20.
The plaintiffs claimed that they were brought into Epstein’s home under the pretense of performing massages, but were then forced to perform unwanted sex acts with the now-deceased financier. As of now, the women in the lawsuit remain unnamed, but with the addition of this filing, at least five women have come forward with sexual abuse allegations against Epstein since his apparent suicide.
His 2007 non-prosecution agreement, handled by former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta, has been widely criticized for its leniency. Epstein was reportedly able to leave the jail to run his business for 12 hours a day, six days a week.
Two days before Epstein’s suicide, he signed his will, placing his assets into a trust and further compounding the suspicions regarding his death. Now, the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct will most likely face a lengthy legal battle for damages.
“There are certainly going to be a lot of lawyers involved,” David S. Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor told the Guardian. “It’s not going to be over any time soon.”
[Image via mugshot]
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