Bank of America to Pay $72.5 Million To Jeffrey Epstein Accusers As Judge Approves Settlement

A federal judge has approved Bank of America's $72.5 million settlement with women who accused the banking giant of facilitating their sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein, making it the latest major financial institution to pay millions to resolve claims connected to the disgraced financier's sex-trafficking operation.

U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff granted final approval to the class-action settlement during a hearing in Manhattan, saying the agreement would provide victims with "substantial" compensation and "justice, even if partial."

The fund will compensate eligible women who were trafficked or sexually abused by Epstein or his associates between June 2008 and July 2019. Attorneys involved in the case have estimated that roughly 60 to 75 women could qualify for compensation, although the final number of claimants could vary.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York in October 2025, accused Bank of America of ignoring suspicious financial activity connected to Epstein and his associates despite numerous warning signs surrounding the convicted sex offender.

The plaintiffs alleged the bank "knowingly and intentionally participated in, assisted, supported, and facilitated" Epstein's trafficking operation by providing banking and investment services while failing to adequately respond to red flags, according to court documents. Bank of America has consistently denied those allegations.

Among the transactions scrutinized in the litigation were payments involving billionaire Leon Black, the former chief executive of Apollo Global Management. An independent review commissioned by Apollo previously found that Black paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017 for services involving tax, estate planning and related matters.

Black has called his relationship with Epstein a "horrible mistake" while repeatedly denying any involvement in or knowledge of Epstein's criminal activity. The Bank of America litigation also drew attention to approximately $170 million in transactions between Black and Epstein that the bank later reported as suspicious, according to Senate Finance Committee information.

Bank of America had sought to dismiss the case, arguing that the plaintiffs were attempting to dramatically broaden banks' legal liability for providing ordinary financial services to customers who did not have known connections to Epstein's trafficking operation at the relevant time.

The bank continues to deny wrongdoing. "While we stand by our prior statements made in the filings in this case, including that Bank of America did not facilitate sex trafficking crimes, this resolution allows us to put this matter behind us and provides further closure for the plaintiffs," a Bank of America spokesperson told ABC News.

The settlement places Bank of America alongside two other major financial institutions that have paid substantial sums to resolve Epstein-related litigation. JPMorgan Chase agreed in 2023 to pay $290 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by Epstein survivors. Deutsche Bank separately reached a $75 million settlement with women who accused the bank of enabling Epstein's trafficking operation.

A separate lawsuit against Bank of New York Mellon was dismissed after a court found the plaintiffs had not sufficiently established the bank's civil liability under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act or adequately supported allegations that it obstructed investigations involving Epstein.

Rakoff's approval came despite objections from three accusers who argued that the Bank of America agreement was too broad because it required them to relinquish certain related claims against the bank and other potential defendants without additional compensation. The judge rejected their challenge.