Underage Rape Victim Jennifer Araoz Reaches Settlement With Jeffrey Epstein Estate
Jennifer Araoz is the first of Jeffrey Epstein's many victims to have acknowledged receiving a settlement from the estate. OK! has obtained court filings which confirm that she dropped her civil suit against Epstein's estate after being compensated for the damages inflicted upon her by the deceased pedophile.
OK! broke the news that the estate had started paying out dozens of women in late October from a Victim Fund. There were suggestions that Araoz was one of the victims who had received compensation, especially after she dropped her ongoing civil cases against Ghislaine Maxwell and the estate of Jeffrey Epstein in New York Supreme Court earlier this month without providing a formal explanation. A condition of the settlement was that victims could not pursue any more legal claims against Epstein or Epstein employees.
JEFFREY EPSTEIN ESTATE PAYS OUT SETTLEMENTS TO DOZENS OF VICTIMS
This was confirmed however in a Dismissal of Claim for Unliquidated and Unsecured Damages that was filed in the U.S. Virgin Islands this week. In that two-page document — which was sent to lawyers for Epstein's estate and the other victims who had filed suit in the Virgin Islands — Araoz’s lawyer, Douglas B. Chanco, wrote that the defendant “has satisfactorily resolved Araoz's claim.”
Jeffrey Epstein victim Jennifer Araoz speaking about her abuse on 'Today.' Photo: NBC/YouTube
The actual amount that was paid to Araoz is not known, as that information was filed under seal. She is free to share that information if she so desires. Her lawyer did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The estate has quietly been paying out millions of dollars to dozens of the pedophile’s victims. OK! learned that these settlements were distributed last month to these women after obtaining a copy of an Administration of Testamentary Estates that was filed in the case.
These settlements were handled by a Victim Compensation Fund that operated separately from the Epstein estate. Their claims were assessed, and a payout was issued within 90 days. In some cases, the payouts took a little longer given the unforeseen challenges presented by the COVID pandemic.
There is no limit to the amount an individual can be awarded, with the only financial advisement being that the fund have at least $10 million at all times and move another $15 million over from the estate when it sinks to that figure.
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Araoz stated in her New York filing that she was a 14-year-old student at the Talent Unlimited High School on Manhattan's Upper East Side when she was “approached by a brunette woman, who appeared to be in her early 20s, on the sidewalk in front of her school.” A few weeks later that woman had persuaded her to meet Epstein, who in turn spent over a month giving her hundreds of dollars and gifts like a camera while purporting to be an AIDS activist, according to the lawsuit.
The complaint stated that the money and gifts were lorded over the teen when Epstein requested she provide him with a naked massage a few weeks after her first visit to the mansion, which ended with him performing a manual sex act on himself until completion.
DEED EMERGES CLAIMING JEFFREY EPSTEIN LEFT PALM BEACH MANSION TO CHRISTIAN NON-PROFIT
These sexual assaults became increasingly depraved over the next year, according to the complaint, and allegedly ended when Araoz was raped by Epstein. She feared ever seeing him again or being near the home after her assault, which began a downward spiral that ended with her dropping out of school. Araoz had been seeking damages for the emotional anguish brought about by Epstein’s sexual abuse.
She detailed her assault in that complaint, stating: "Epstein masturbated, as Ms. Araoz rubbed his chest. Then, all of a sudden, without giving Ms. Araoz any notice, Epstein forced his penis (which already had massage oils on it) inside her vagina and proceeded to have sex with her. Araoz was petrified, felt trapped, and didn’t know what to do, so she just did as she was told. Epstein held her tightly and forcibly raped her.”
It was also noted that “Epstein did not use a condom” when he sexually assaulted the high school student. When it was over, he told Araoz that "she was amazing, that she felt amazing, and that she did nothing wrong."
Araoz had to sign a four-page contract that states she will not file legal action against the Epstein estate and co-executors Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn. She is also now unable to file suit against “any entities or individuals who are or have ever been engaged by (whether as independent contractors or otherwise), employed by, worked in any capacity for, or provided any services to Mr. Epstein, the Epstein Entities or the Epstein Estate.”
The Fund does allow the women to remain anonymous if they desire, and also allows them to speak about their compensation and Epstein. Araoz bravely chose to go public with her story, however, back in 2019 by appearing on Today, shortly after Epstein’s arrest.
