Epstein Estate Settlement: $35M Payout, Objection, and Bank Deals

The Epstein estate settlement is a proposed class-action deal, filed February 19, 2026, under which the estate of Jeffrey Epstein would pay between $25 million and $35 million to women he trafficked and abused between 1995 and his death in 2019.¹²³

Who the Settlement Covers

The class is defined as women trafficked and abused by Epstein from 1995 through his death in August 2019.⁴⁵ The deadline to submit a form to participate was May 12, 2026.³

The underlying case was filed in February 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. It named Indyke, Epstein’s longtime personal lawyer, and Kahn, his accountant, both installed as co-executors under a will Epstein revised two days before he died in federal custody.⁶⁴ Neither man was accused of direct sexual abuse, and both deny the allegations.

What Survivors Get and What the Executors Get

The money comes from the estate itself, not from Indyke or Kahn personally.⁴ In exchange, both executors receive permanent civil immunity for any claim that they facilitated Epstein’s trafficking, and every participating survivor is barred from ever suing them again on those grounds.⁵ Neither has admitted wrongdoing. Their attorney, Daniel Weiner, said they agreed to the deal “in order to achieve finality as to any potential claims against the Epstein Estate.”¹

Sigrid McCawley represented the lead plaintiff.⁴

Approval Status and the Pending Objection

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian signed the preliminary approval order on March 3, 2026.² The parties describe the deal as unopposed, but at least one formal challenge is on file.⁵

St. Croix attorney Russell Pate has objected, calling the deal “perverse” because it would grant the estate absolute immunity from future lawsuits while leaving roughly $80 million in remaining assets available to be distributed to Epstein’s heirs and to Indyke and Kahn, both of whom are named as beneficiaries of Epstein’s trust. Pate argued that many unidentified victims will never receive real notice yet would have their claims permanently extinguished, and that the case belongs in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the estate sits and where punitive damages against a deceased defendant’s estate are allowed. New York law does not permit those damages.³

The September 16, 2026 hearing will decide final approval.³

What Is Left in the Estate

Epstein’s wealth was estimated at roughly $600 million to $635 million when he died.⁷⁸⁹ A 2022 settlement with the U.S. Virgin Islands required the estate to pay more than $105 million in cash plus half the proceeds from the sale of Epstein’s two private islands, which sold for $60 million.¹⁰¹¹

Two days before his death, Epstein signed a 32-page pour-over instrument known as the “1953 Trust,” listing more than 40 beneficiaries and bequests totaling over $330 million. Karyna Shuliak, identified as Epstein’s girlfriend, was earmarked for up to $100 million plus properties; Indyke was listed for $50 million, Kahn for $25 million, and Ghislaine Maxwell for $10 million.⁹ Estate attorneys have said no beneficiary receives anything until all creditors and victim claims are satisfied.⁸ Given the estate’s shrunken value, it is not clear how much the named beneficiaries will actually see.¹²

How This Fits With the Bank Settlements

The estate deal is separate from the far larger settlements extracted from Epstein’s banks by a legal team led by David Boies and Bradley Edwards.

JPMorgan Chase paid $290 million, approved by U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in November 2023. Epstein banked there for 15 years.¹³
Deutsche Bank paid $75 million, approved by Judge Rakoff in October 2023. The bank said it had made an “error” in taking Epstein on after JPMorgan dropped him.¹⁴
Bank of America agreed to $72.5 million in March 2026, with preliminary approval from Judge Rakoff in April 2026 and a final approval hearing set for August 27, 2026. The bank denied facilitating trafficking.¹⁵

The same team is appealing the dismissal of a parallel suit against Bank of New York Mellon.¹⁵ Across all of the compensation efforts and institutional settlements, well over $600 million has been directed to Epstein’s victims and to the jurisdictions that pursued the case. Whether the estate settlement’s $25 to $35 million is added to that total, and how many survivors it reaches, will be decided in September.

1
CNN. Epstein Estate Settlement Victims
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The Hill. Epstein Estate Abuse Claims
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St. Thomas Source. V.I. Attorney Objects to Broad Epstein Settlement
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ABC News. Victims Settle Case Against Epstein’s Longtime Attorney and Accountant
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Courthouse News Service. Epstein Estate Agrees to $35 Million Settlement With Victims
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The Hill. Epstein Estate Settlement Advisers Sex Trafficking Claims
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BBC. Jeffrey Epstein Estate
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Business Insider. Jeffrey Epstein Planned Inheritance Marriage Karyna Shuliak
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La Voce di New York. Epstein Estate Agrees to $35M Settlement as Secret Trust Resurfaces
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CNBC. Jeffrey Epstein Private Islands Bought by Billionaire
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New York Times. Epstein Islands Sale
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New York Times. Jeffrey Epstein Trust Inherit Karyna Shuliak
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Reuters. US Judge to Weigh JPMorgan’s $290 Million Settlement With Epstein Accusers
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CNN. Deutsche Bank Settlement Epstein Accusers
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Reuters. Bank of America’s $72.5 Million Settlement With Epstein Accusers Wins Preliminary Approval