Law Firm Sues Sex Offender for $2M in Fees, Says Nonprosecution Agreement Violated
A Miami law firm claims in a lawsuit that a billionaire sex offender owes it $2 million in fees for representing more than a dozen of his victims.
The firm, Podhurst Orseck, alleges Jeffrey Epstein owes the fees under a federal nonprosecution agreement, according to stories in the Palm Beach Daily News, the Palm Beach Post and the Associated Press.
The suit says Epstein avoided serious prison time when the feds agreed not to prosecute him if he pleaded guilty to state charges of procuring prostitution and procuring a minor for prostitution. The feds had accused Epstein of paying minors for sexual massages at his Palm Beach mansion, the Palm Beach Post says. He served 13 months of an 18-month sentence on the state charges.
Under the federal nonprosecution agreement, Epstein agreed to the appointment of a lawyer to represent underage victims and waived his right to contest liability, the Daily News story says. An addendum said the lawyer would be paid at his or her regular hourly rate.
The Palm Beach Post posted the federal lawsuit (PDF).
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