The estate of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein agreed to a $35 million class action lawsuit settlement against two of his previous advisers, according to a court filing on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. In the court brief, Epstein’s advisers Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn were accused of “knowingly and intentionally participated in, assisted, supported, and facilitated Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking venture.”
The agreement is contingent upon a judge’s approval, and the settlement value depends on the number of victims in the class action lawsuit. If there are “less than 40 Eligible Class Members” then the settlement amount is $25 million. If there are more than 40, the total settlement increases in value to $35 million, according to the brief.
”This resolution represents a substantial recovery that falls well within the range of reasonable resolutions,” read the filing. “The matter involved years of case investigation even before filing suit, including numerous pre-suit witness interviews and other fact investigation to analyze potential claims.” If approved, the agreement would end a lawsuit initially filed in Feb. 2024, accusing Indyke and Kahn of liability “under state law for aiding, abetting, and facilitating battery; intentional infliction of emotional distress; and negligence.”
Indyke and Kahn both denied all allegations, according to the brief. Furthermore, the details of the court filing noted they were “not accused of abusing any women or being present when any abuse occurred, and they deny that they participated in the Epstein sex trafficking venture in any way and deny that any Class Member has suffered any harm, injury, or damages as a result of their conduct.”
“Because they did nothing wrong, the co-executors were prepared to fight the claims against them through to trial, but agreed to mediate and settle this lawsuit in order to achieve finality as to any potential claims against the Epstein Estate,” said Daniel H. Weiner, the lawyer representing Indyke and Kahn.
“The Parties engaged in years-long extensive discovery efforts,” read the court filing. “The Parties conducted extensive fact, class certification, and expert discovery, taking 15 depositions, producing and reviewing hundreds of thousands of pages of documents, and preparing and rebutting reports for four expert witnesses. Numerous discovery disputes were litigated. And discovery of the Lead Plaintiff was continuing at the time the Settlement was reached.”
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Negotiations for a settlement began in Oct. 2025 through a mediator, and they “engaged in good faith negotiations during the mediation and over the following months.” An agreement was reached on Dec. 19, with both parties wishing to “settle and dismiss with prejudice the Litigation and grant full mutual releases” to Epstein’s estate and Indyke and Kahn in exchange for the aforementioned settlement amount.
“The proposed Settlement releases any claims and potential claims against the Estate and the Co-Executors, including any claims that have been or may be revived at a subsequent date,” read a stipulation in the filing.
Reuters reported that Epstein’s estate had previously established a “restitution fund” that distributed $121 million to victims. It also “paid out $49 million in additional settlements to victims.”
