According to legal experts, the recent lawsuit filed by JPMorgan Chase against its former executive Jes Staley regarding claims that the bank facilitated Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking will likely end in a settlement. The suit was filed after unsavory revelations about Staley’s relationship with Epstein surfaced in two lawsuits against the bank. Several legal experts suggested that JPMorgan’s move against Staley is as much about public relations as bolstering its legal position. JPMorgan’s arguments are strong, but it will not want to withstand the steady drumbeat of headlines that going to trial would guarantee. Experts also pointed out that big companies tend to settle for PR reasons, and that the bank’s strategy of going after Staley ahead of trying to negotiate a settlement is a good one. If JPMorgan settles, it would not be the first deal obtained by David Boies and law partner Sigrid McCawley for Epstein victims. Boies and McCawley have represented Epstein’s victims pro bono in previous cases. Legal claims against JPMorgan are not a slam dunk, and it remains to be seen whether plaintiffs can show that what Staley knew, JPMorgan knew as well.
