JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon to be deposed in Jeffrey Epstein suit

JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon must undergo up to two days of questioning by lawyers handling lawsuits over whether the bank can be held liable in financier Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of teenage girls and women, a federal judge said Tuesday.

During a telephone conference with lawyers, Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan ordered Dimon to set aside two days for deposition testimony, though he didn’t specify when. He said one day of testimony might be sufficient and lawyers would have to get his approval to continue to a second day.

The New York bank, the nation’s largest, has been sued by the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands and two women, both identified as Jane Doe, who say they were abused by Epstein.

The lawsuits contend JPMorgan should have seen evidence of Epstein’s sex trafficking and avoided profiting from it.

The bank, besides denying the allegations, has sued one of its former executives, saying the man hid Epstein’s decades of sex abuse and trafficking to keep Epstein as a client.

Darin Oduyoye, a JPMorgan spokesperson, said lawyers for the lawsuits against JPMorgan “know our CEO has no relevant knowledge, but persists with this media stunt designed for headlines and clicks.”

He said a review of more than two decades of emails and other documents made it clear that Dimon had no involvement with Epstein or his accounts.

“He does not recall ever meeting, speaking or communicating with him,” Oduyoye said.

Lawyers for JPMorgan did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges in Palm Beach County in July 2008. He admitted he hired local underage girls to provide sex and erotic massages at his home. His sentence has been referred to as a “sweetheart deal” that allowed him lenient work release while he served about 13 months of an 18-month sentence, followed by a year of house arrest.

An investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement focused on former Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer’s decision not to aggressively prosecute sex abuse allegations against Epstein over a decade ago; Epstein’s generous work release privileges in jail; and allegations that Epstein had sex with young women while under the jail’s supervision.

The investigation found Epstein received “differential treatment” in jail, but no evidence was uncovered that suggests county officials broke any laws. Epstein killed himself in a New York jail in 2019 as he awaited a sex trafficking trial.