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Federal Judge Permits Partial Lawsuits Against JPMorgan in Cases Linked to Jeffrey Epstein

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A federal judge has allowed certain complaints filed by the U.S. Virgin Islands and an unnamed litigant, Jane Doe, against JPMorgan Chase to proceed. The decision follows the bank’s motion to dismiss the lawsuits entirely.

Judge Jed Rakoff of the United States District Court Southern District of New York issued a 4-page ruling on Monday, addressing several motions combined into a single proceeding. JPMorgan faces two lawsuits, one filed by the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Justice (VIDOJ) and another by Jane Doe.

In the VIDOJ’s lawsuit, the remaining claim asserts that JPMorgan knowingly benefited from participating in a sex trafficking venture led by Jeffrey Epstein. The judge dismissed the other three claims in the first amended complaint.

In Jane Doe’s lawsuit, six out of the ten claims against JPMorgan were dismissed. The four remaining allegations include the bank’s negligent failure to exercise reasonable care to prevent physical harm; negligent failure to exercise reasonable care as a banking institution providing non-routine banking; knowingly benefiting from participating in a sex trafficking venture; and obstructing enforcement of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

The same Jane Doe plaintiff filed another lawsuit against Deutsche Bank and two of its United States subsidiaries. In this case, the judge dismissed six claims against Deutsche Bank, leaving the same four allegations that stand against JPMorgan.

Judge Rakoff stated that he would provide an opinion explaining his rulings “in due course.”

JPMorgan continues to defend itself against allegations that it ignored Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal activities while profiting from the business relationship between the convicted sex offender and the world’s largest bank. The bank has also sued a former executive, claiming the individual should be held personally liable for any damages that might be ordered to be paid as a result of the two pending lawsuits, one from the VI DOJ and the other from Jane Doe 1.

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