Latest / The Vault: The Epstein Files / The Expedited Motion To Establish The Epstein Survivor Compensation Fund (10/10/26)
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Everyone, and welcome back to the Epstein Chronicles. In today's episode,
- 0:05Speaker 1: we're diving right back in to those court documents, and
- 0:08Speaker 1: this time, we're taking a look at the request for
- 0:11Speaker 1: an immediate hearing or conference regarding an expedited motion for
- 0:16Speaker 1: the establishment of a voluntary claims resolution program. Come now,
- 0:22Speaker 1: the co-executors of the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, Darren K. Endyke,
- 0:26Speaker 1: and Richard DeConn, and requests that this honorable court set
- 0:30Speaker 1: an immediate hearing or an in-chambers conference with regard to
- 0:34Speaker 1: the pending expedited motion for establishment of a voluntary claims
- 0:38Speaker 1: resolution filed on November 14, 2019. Immediate court action is
- 0:43Speaker 1: needed to approve establishment of a proposed Epstein victims' compensation
- 0:48Speaker 1: program for the purpose of resolving multiple sexual abuse claims
- 0:53Speaker 1: against Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased. The grounds for the requested
- 0:56Speaker 1: relief are as follows. Without the court's immediate action, the
- 1:00Speaker 1: program cannot move forward. The independent, nationally recognized claims administration
- 1:06Speaker 1: experts proposed by the estate will not be able to
- 1:09Speaker 1: design and implement the program to the extraordinary detriment of
- 1:13Speaker 1: numerous claimants, now 26 different women with more expected, who
- 1:18Speaker 1: seek the fair and expeditious resolution of their claims of
- 1:22Speaker 1: sexual abuse. In this matter, justice delayed will truly be
- 1:26Speaker 1: justice denied. Section 1. Facts in support of motion. Mr.
- 1:34Speaker 1: Epstein died in New York on August 10, 2019. On
- 1:37Speaker 1: August 15, 2019, a petition for probate and for letters
- 1:42Speaker 1: testamentary was filed with the court. On September 6, 2019,
- 1:45Speaker 1: the court issued letters testamentary appointing Indyke and Kahn to
- 1:51Speaker 1: act as co-executors. 2. On November 14, 2019, the co-executors
- 1:59Speaker 1: filed the expedited motion seeking the court's approval to retain
- 2:02Speaker 1: three independent, nationally recognized claims administration experts, Jordana Feldman, Kenneth Feinberg,
- 2:09Speaker 1: and Camille Byros, and tasked them to design and implement
- 2:14Speaker 1: a mass tort-type program to achieve the fair and expedited
- 2:17Speaker 1: resolution of sexual abuse claims filed by numerous claimants against
- 2:22Speaker 1: the estate. as noted by the co-executors in their request
- 2:26Speaker 1: for ruling on expedited motion for establishment of a voluntary
- 2:30Speaker 1: claims resolution program filed December 4th, 2019. There are now
- 2:36Speaker 1: 17 separate lawsuits pending against the estate, involving allegations by
- 2:41Speaker 1: 26 different plaintiffs of Mr. Epstein's sexual abuse. Moreover, last month,
- 2:47Speaker 1: attorneys for women who have sued the estate announced in
- 2:50Speaker 1: New York federal court that potentially dozens of additional lawsuits
- 2:54Speaker 1: can be expected. See Request for Ruling, Example A, Status Conference, TR,
- 2:59Speaker 1: November 21, 2019. Number three. Additionally, on November 14, 2019, Ms. Feldman, Ms. Feinberg,
- 3:08Speaker 1: and Ms. Beros publicly announced the filing of the expedited motion.
- 3:13Speaker 1: See Administrator Jordana M. Feldman announces proposed establishment of of
- 3:18Speaker 1: the Epstein's Victim Compensation Program, November 14th, 2019. Copy attached
- 3:24Speaker 1: here to as Exhibit A. The proposed Epstein Victim's Compensation
- 3:29Speaker 1: Program has received widespread publicity in the national press and
- 3:33Speaker 1: several United States federal judges have publicly recognized the significance
- 3:38Speaker 1: of that program. Number four. On December 12, 2019, Ms. Feldman, Mr. Feinberg,
- 3:44Speaker 1: and Ms. Biros informed the co-executors that without court action
- 3:48Speaker 1: on the expedited motion, they cannot move forward with the program.
- 3:52Speaker 1: In particular, they cannot engage critically necessary third-party vendors, e.g.
- 3:58Speaker 1: information technology specialists and claims processing experts, cannot retain critical staff,
- 4:04Speaker 1: including attorneys, claims evaluators, and operational staff, and cannot lease
- 4:09Speaker 1: or outfit space essential to house the program's operations and
- 4:13Speaker 1: staff or perform other necessary program-related activities. Need for immediate action.
- 4:21Speaker 1: By the expedited motion, the co-executors seek the court's authorization
- 4:25Speaker 1: to use the state funds to retain the services of
- 4:28Speaker 1: the proposed program administrator and program designers, Ms. Feldman, Ms. Feinberg,
- 4:34Speaker 1: and Ms. Beros. and authorized release of payments necessary to
- 4:38Speaker 1: ensure the prompt and effective implementation of the program and
- 4:42Speaker 1: design of a program protocol to establish a fair, independent
- 4:46Speaker 1: claims resolution process. Once the protocol is developed and finalized,
- 4:51Speaker 1: with input sought from claimants and their counsel, as well
- 4:55Speaker 1: as other interested parties, the co-executors will submit it to
- 4:58Speaker 1: the court for approval and will seek an order to
- 5:01Speaker 1: formally commence claims resolution proceedings under the program. Without the
- 5:07Speaker 1: court's approval of the expedited motion, the program simply cannot proceed. Instead,
- 5:13Speaker 1: the multiple litigations in New York will move forward at
- 5:16Speaker 1: full speed at great expense to the estate and to
- 5:19Speaker 1: the claimants. Without an alternative solution in place for resolving claims,
- 5:24Speaker 1: those litigations will continue and likely expand with enormous attendant
- 5:29Speaker 1: costs imposed on all parties in cases where a claimant
- 5:32Speaker 1: might have alternatively participated in the program. Out of necessity
- 5:38Speaker 1: and responsibility to these parties and to the estate, action
- 5:41Speaker 1: from the court is imperative. Time is of the essence. Accordingly,
- 5:46Speaker 1: it is respectfully requested that this honorable court set an
- 5:50Speaker 1: immediate hearing or in-chamber conference on the expedited motion. This
- 5:54Speaker 1: was signed by Christopher Allen Croblan. And now the full
- 5:58Speaker 1: letter of the proposed establishment of the Epstein Victims' Compensation Program.
- 6:04Speaker 1: Jordana Jordy H. Feldman Kenneth R. Feinberg and Camille S.
- 6:08Speaker 1: Byros today announced that the co-executors of the estate of
- 6:12Speaker 1: Jeffrey Epstein have filed documents in the Superior Court of
- 6:16Speaker 1: the U.S. Virgin Islands seeking expedited approval from the court
- 6:20Speaker 1: for the establishment of a voluntary claims resolution program that
- 6:24Speaker 1: will allow eligible individuals the opportunity to resolve their sex
- 6:28Speaker 1: abuse claims against Mr. Epstein and his estate through a
- 6:32Speaker 1: confidential and non-adversarial alternative to litigation. Ms. Feldman, Mr. Feinberg,
- 6:39Speaker 1: and Ms. Biros, distinguished independent claims administration experts with extensive
- 6:45Speaker 1: experience in fashioning similar claims programs, will lead the design
- 6:49Speaker 1: of the program, including developing criteria and requirements for the
- 6:54Speaker 1: evaluations and determination of eligibility and compensation and the accompanying
- 7:00Speaker 1: claims process. Ms. Feldman, Mr. Feinberg, and Ms. Biros will
- 7:05Speaker 1: draft the program protocol and will afford interested parties, including
- 7:09Speaker 1: a potential claimant and or their legal representatives, an opportunity
- 7:14Speaker 1: to provide input on the protocol prior to its finalization.
- 7:18Speaker 1: They expect that once approved by the court, the program
- 7:21Speaker 1: will start accepting claims in approximately 90 days. This important
- 7:25Speaker 1: program will offer victims the opportunity to obtain long overdue
- 7:30Speaker 1: compensation to be heard and treated with the compassion, dignity
- 7:34Speaker 1: and respect they deserve and to achieve some measure of
- 7:36Speaker 1: justice and validation that has eluded them for so many years.
- 7:41Speaker 1: The claims resolution process will be fair, prompt and non-adversarial
- 7:46Speaker 1: and will provide victims with a meaningful alternative to years
- 7:50Speaker 1: of protracted civil litigation and its associated costs, risks and
- 7:55Speaker 1: and uncertainties, said Ms. Feldman. Ms. Biros added, Participation in
- 8:00Speaker 1: the program will be entirely voluntary and will not affect
- 8:04Speaker 1: any rights the claimant may have unless and until she
- 8:07Speaker 1: accepts the compensation determination and signs a litigation release. All
- 8:12Speaker 1: claimants will be afforded an opportunity to meet confidentially with
- 8:16Speaker 1: the administrator, if they so desire, in order to provide
- 8:20Speaker 1: any information that may bear upon the evaluations of their claims. Ms. Feldman,
- 8:25Speaker 1: who recently served as Deputy Special Master of the September
- 8:30Speaker 1: 11th Victim Compensation Fund, the litigation alternative program administered by
- 8:35Speaker 1: the U.S. Department of Justice that compensate victims who have
- 8:38Speaker 1: become sick or died as a result of their 9-11-related exposure,
- 8:44Speaker 1: will also administer this new program. Ms. Feldman will, in
- 8:47Speaker 1: the role of Administrator, have authority to modify or reject Ms.
- 8:51Speaker 1: Feldman's decisions on any basis as to any claim, Mr. Feinberg,
- 8:56Speaker 1: the nation's leading expert in fashioning effective dispute resolution alternatives,
- 9:01Speaker 1: and his colleague, Ms. Biros, will partner with Ms. Feldman
- 9:05Speaker 1: in the development and implementation of the program, lending their
- 9:09Speaker 1: extensive expertise to that process. Ms. Feinberg added, we are
- 9:14Speaker 1: pleased to have been asked to implement this important program.
- 9:17Speaker 1: and are eager to begin designing it so the claimants
- 9:20Speaker 1: will have a forum where their suffering is acknowledged and
- 9:23Speaker 1: their claims are promptly and appropriately compensated. Regarding Ms. Feldman,
- 9:29Speaker 1: he said, Jordi brings not only a wealth of experience
- 9:32Speaker 1: from her long time working with the 9-11 community, but
- 9:35Speaker 1: also a profound sense of empathy for victims and deep
- 9:38Speaker 1: commitment to ensuring fairness in the process and the outcome.
- 9:43Speaker 1: Once approved, the program will operate and maintain a website
- 9:47Speaker 1: that provides general information about the program, including the protocol,
- 9:51Speaker 1: frequently asked questions, information about claims filings, deadlines, and registration
- 9:56Speaker 1: process for new complaints. Contact information for the program will
- 10:01Speaker 1: also be made available on the website. And this was
- 10:04Speaker 1: signed by Melissa L. Haley, Chief of Staff of the
- 10:09Speaker 1: Epstein Victims Compensation Fund. All right, folks, that's going to
- 10:13Speaker 1: do it for this one. All of the information that
- 10:15Speaker 1: goes with this episode can be found in the description box. Psst!