Banks Seek Dismissal of Lawsuits Alleging They Enabled Jeffrey Epstein’s Trafficking

Bank of America and Bank of New York Mellon have asked a federal judge to dismiss recently filed lawsuits accusing them of knowingly assisting Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking activities by maintaining banking relationships tied to the disgraced financier. The proposed class actions were filed on October 15 by a Florida woman identified as Jane Doe, who claims the banks ignored extensive red flags surrounding Epstein’s conduct because they prioritized financial gain over safeguarding potential victims.

According to the lawsuits, the institutions should have filed suspicious activity reports with the U.S. Treasury Department—actions that Doe’s attorneys argue might have helped authorities intervene sooner. However, Bank of America responded in a Manhattan federal court filing that Doe’s accusations lack substance, asserting she merely described standard banking services provided to individuals with no known connection to Epstein at the time. The bank argued that any attempt to imply deeper involvement was baseless.

BNY Mellon, in a separate filing, characterized Doe’s claims as insubstantial, noting that the lawsuit does not actually allege Epstein was ever a client or conducted business with anyone at the bank. Both institutions further argued that it was not reasonably foreseeable that their routine banking operations could result in harm to Doe, undermining her negligence-related claims.

Doe’s legal team—led by attorney David Boies—has pursued multiple cases against alleged facilitators of Epstein’s trafficking network. In 2023, they reached major settlements totaling $290 million with JPMorgan Chase and $75 million with Deutsche Bank, though neither bank admitted wrongdoing. These settlements were approved by U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff, who is overseeing the current Bank of America and BNY Mellon cases.

Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. His connections and alleged accomplices continue to generate public interest, including recent attention sparked by emails released by House Democrats. Those documents prompted renewed scrutiny around what U.S. President Donald Trump may have known about Epstein’s criminal activities—claims Trump has repeatedly and strongly denied.