Romanucci & Blandin secures settlement for abuse victim of Jeffrey Epstein

Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, a national trial law firm principally based in Chicago, announces a settlement for a female sexual abuse victim of Jeffrey Epstein. The settlement was secured in September 2021 as part of the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Fund for Victims and Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Jeffrey Epstein.

The client, whose name is not being shared to protect her privacy, was a 27-year-old European model when she was introduced to Epstein. He groomed and sexually abused her more than 50 times at various locations in the United States and abroad in 2014. The terms of the financial settlement are confidential.

As his modus operandi, Epstein promised to help many young and vulnerable women with their careers in modeling, acting, the arts, and/or non-profit charitable organizations. Many of his victims were like our client, young adult women who he believed to be naïve, and he lured them in with offers to help their careers.  In 2013, Epstein’s friend in the modeling industry recruited our client to meet with Epstein, who was described as a Harvard-educated, wealthy and well-connected philanthropist who liked to help people. Epstein hired our client as a personal assistant and began to psychologically abuse and manipulate her in order to coerce her to provide massages and ultimately perform sexual acts. At first, he presented himself as altruistic as he learned about her past depression and self-esteem issues. He then tried to break her down, calling her demeaning names and eventually expressly asking her to become a mistress for his friends, suggesting that was the only career prospect that made sense for her. Our client realized Epstein had never intended to help her and had groomed her to become a prostitute from the outset. She ended the relationship, but the abuse by Epstein has caused her deep and lasting psychological harm.

“The brave young women who, like our client, have endured the unthinkable because of Jeffrey Epstein will never receive the true justice and closure that they deserve, but survivor-focused programs like the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Fund are an important step towards recognizing them and helping them to find their peace,” said Jason J. Friedl, Senior Attorney at Romanucci & Blandin, who was part of the Abuse Team that handled the case.

Romanucci & Blandin has deep experience in sexual abuse and sex trafficking cases. To learn more about legal options in these cases please visit https://www.rblaw.net/practices-sexual-abuse-hazing-cases.