NEW YORK _ Two aspiring models who were working at a Union Square restaurant when they allegedly were lured to Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan mansion and assaulted have filed a new $100 million lawsuit.
The complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan cites federal sex trafficking law and names the financier's estate as well as alleged recruiter Sue Roe as the defendants.
The victims, identified as Jane Does, are now living in Baltimore and Japan. One was 18 years old at the time, and the other was 20, according to their lawyer, Lisa Bloom.
"We seek significant money damages for the psychological devastation Mr. Epstein's predation caused to our clients' lives," a statement from Bloom's firm said.
The women were working at The Coffee Shop near Union Square when they were offered "hundreds of dollars" to give a "brief massage" to Epstein at his seven-story townhouse on E. 71st Street in 2004, according to the complaint.
The women were assured the massages would not involve any "unwanted touching," the lawsuit states.
When Jane Doe 1 arrived at the townhouse, she was ushered into a private room where she began massaging Epstein, the lawsuit alleges.
"During the massage, Epstein became increasingly more aggressive, made sexual advances and masturbated," the complaint states. "Epstein, forcefully and without warning, grabbed Jane Doe 1's breasts and vagina and then masturbated to completion."
Two days later, Jane Doe 2 visited the Upper East Side mansion to provide a massage and was sexually assaulted as part of Epstein's "massage to molestation" scheme, the lawsuit claims.
"Jeffrey Epstein hurt so many girls and women in his life. We call upon his beneficiaries to do right by them after his death, to set aside a victim's compensation fund where their attorneys can present evidence of each victim's claim and provide for fair and swift compensation for them rather than years of protracted litigation. If they do not, we will fight for the justice our clients deserve in the courts," Bloom's firm said.
The lawsuit filed Thursday night appears to be the second legal claim against the estate following Epstein's Aug. 10 death from apparent suicide at age 66 in the Manhattan Correctional Center, where he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
