Judge rules Bank of America must face lawsuit over Jeffrey Epstein ties [View all]
Source: Reuters
January 29, 2026 5:19 PM EST Updated 6 mins ago
NEW YORK, Jan 29 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday said Bank of America (BAC.N) must face part of a proposed class action lawsuit accusing it of knowingly aiding Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking by providing banking services to the disgraced late financier. The judge, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan, also dismissed a similar lawsuit against Bank of New York Mellon (BK.N).
Rakoff said Epstein's victims may pursue two claims accusing Bank of America, the second-largest U.S. bank, of knowingly benefiting from Epstein's sex trafficking, and of obstructing enforcement of the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act. The judge rejected four other claims in the lawsuit, including that Bank of America participated in and aided Epstein's sex trafficking, and that it negligently failed to protect victims or refrain from "non-routine" banking services.
Bank of New York Mellon, the world's largest custodial bank, won dismissal of the same six claims. Rakoff plans to issue an opinion by February 13 explaining his reasoning. A trial for Bank of America is scheduled for May 11. Bank of America said it was pleased that its case was narrowed, adding: "We look forward to a full review of the facts." BNY said its dismissal "reinforces that BNY had no involvement in Epstein's crimes."
The lawsuits were filed in October by a Florida woman known as Jane Doe on behalf of herself and other Epstein accusers.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/judge-rules-bank-america-must-face-lawsuit-over-jeffrey-epstein-ties-2026-01-29/
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