Deutsche Bank to pay $75 million to Jeffrey Epstein victims to settle lawsuit
NBCNov 30, 2022
The Facts
On Wednesday, the lawyers for women who claim billionaire sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused them said Deutsche Bank has agreed to pay $75M to settle a lawsuit that had been set to go to trial in September.
An Epstein victim, identified as "Jane Doe" in court proceedings, alleged that the bank continued to do business with Epstein despite evidence that his accounts were being used for illicit purposes; she claimed they earned the financier millions while "facilitating Epstein's sex trafficking."
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Years after his death, more and more information about this international sex trafficker and his reach continues to trickle into the public domain. From his sway over the powerful, to the unseen level of discretion granted to him by authorities and banks, conspiracy theories about Epstein are quickly turning into conspiracy facts, as everyone from Musk to the director of the CIA seems to be being unveiled as part of his web of influence. Deutsche Bank would rather part with $75M than have their dirty laundry aired in court.
Pro-establishment narrative
Let us dispense with the conspiracies and focus on avenues to provide justice for his victims. Epstein was responsible for many heinous crimes, but they are overshadowed by conspiracy fanatics who have abandoned the evidence. This lawsuit never alleged that Deutsche Bank was involved with sex trafficking, and raising that unsubstantiated claim obfuscates proper investigation with the distracting suggestion that Epstein was involved in some global web of secrets. We need to focus less on fiction and more on helping Epstein's victims receive some compensation for what they have suffered.
