The Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program

When Jeffrey Epstein died in his prison cell on August 10, 2019, there were concerns regarding how all victims, then estimated to be at least 100 women, would be able to receive the money awarded to them in a civil lawsuit against Epstein’s estate. His estate was valued at roughly $600 million but the assets were not liquid and the process of securing the funds was complicated.

Seeing this as an immediate concern and impediment to justice for the survivors, Edwards Pottinger attorneys, Brad Edwards and Brittany Henderson, recognized this potential challenge early on. They were two of the plaintiff victims’ attorneys who were instrumental in the creation of the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program.

The program, which was open for almost one year, established a process where any victim of sexual abuse by Epstein was entitled to bring a claim against his estate and the compensation was provided to the victims in order to resolve their sexual abuse claims. The Epstein Victims’ Compensation Fund, or the Epstein VCP, operated independently from Epstein’s estate and was organized and run by nationally recognized independent claims administration experts. The estate had no grounds to reject or modify any eligibility or compensation determination that the Epstein VCP awarded to the eligible claimants.

The Epstein VCP provided a faster alternative for victims to receive the compensation they were entitled to due to Epstein’s sexual abuse. At its conclusion, the Epstein VCP awarded over $120 million to 135 survivors.

Without the help of Brad Edwards, Brittany Henderson, and other survivors’ attorneys who helped provide key input for the creation of the Epstein VCP, Jeffrey Epstein’s victims would likely still be tied up in ongoing litigations against the Epstein Estate.