A U.S. judge on Wednesday said accusations that Bank of America recklessly disregarded information that the late financier Jeffrey Epstein engaged in sex trafficking were sufficient to let a proposed class action lawsuit proceed. U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff’s assessment came in an opinion explaining his January 29 decision to let Epstein victims pursue two claims accusing the nation’s second-largest bank of knowingly benefiting from Epstein’s sex trafficking, and of obstructing enforcement of the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
The judge also dismissed four other claims against Bank of America, and all of a similar lawsuit against Bank of New York Mellon. He did not decide the merits of the remaining Bank of America claims. Bank of America said on Wednesday it looked forward to a full review of the facts. Lawyers for the Epstein victims did not immediately respond to requests for comment after market hours. A trial is scheduled for May 11. Bank of America, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, had argued the Jane Doe plaintiff had “at best” alleged that it banked high-net-worth clients affiliated with Epstein, and did not show it intentionally obstructed law enforcement.
