Bank of America reaches $72.5 million settlement in Epstein lawsuit

Bank of America has agreed to pay $72.5 million to settle a civil class-action lawsuit. Originally filed by a plaintiff known as Jane Doe, the suit alleged the bank facilitated Epstein’s sex trafficking by ignoring suspicious financial transactions in favor of profit.

While settling, the bank maintains that it did not facilitate crimes and provided only routine services to individuals who had no known links to Epstein at the time. Attorneys for the plaintiffs are seeking up to 30% of the settlement for legal fees. The deal requires the approval of US District Judge Jed Rakoff, with a hearing scheduled for April 2, 2026.

Plaintiff’s lawyers stated the settlement is the best option because many victims suffered years ago and require immediate financial relief. The proposed class action filed in October by a woman using the pseudonym Jane Doe, accused the second-largest US bank for ignoring suspicious financial transactions related to Epstein despite a “plethora” of information about his crimes-because it had valued profit over safeguarding victims.

The lawsuit flagged payments made to Epstein by Leon Black co-founder of Apollo Global Management, who reportedly paid Epstein $158 million for tax and estate planning. Black has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal conduct and said he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal conduct. 

Doe’s lawyers have also sued other alleged enablers of Epstein’s sex trafficking, reaching settlements in 2023 of $290 million with JPMorgan Chase and $75 million with Deutsche Bank on behalf of his accusers.

A similar lawsuit against Bank of New York Mellon was dismissed in January, though that decision is currently being appealed. The US Justice Department has made millions of investigative files public in recent months, providing a deep look into the long-standing probe into Epstein’s network. Additionally, the disclosure of these documents has directly implicated or embroiled several prominent figures, including high-ranking executives and politicians.