People inside the offices of JP Morgan Chase in New York City.
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A New York federal judge on Monday ruled that the U.S. Virgin Islands and women who accuse the late investor Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse can proceed with a lawsuit claiming that JPMorgan Chase knowingly benefited from participating in Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme.
The judge also allowed parts of a separate, similar lawsuit by Epstein’s accusers against Deutsche Bank to proceed.
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The ruling by Manhattan District Judge Jed Rakoff came in response to motions from JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank to dismiss the three lawsuits. While Rakoff agreed to dismiss multiple counts of each of the cases, he allowed other counts to remain and to head toward trial.
In the Virgin Islands’ suit, Rakoff said that the government’s claim that JPMorgan Chase “knowingly benefited from participating in a sex trafficking venture” led by the bank’s client Epstein could proceed. He dismissed all other claims in the suit.
JPMorgan declined to comment on the ruling.
— With additional reporting by CNBC’s Eamon Javers
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