NEW YORK _ The respected administrators of the Jeffrey Epstein victims' claims program vowed to run a fair process completely independent from Epstein's estate.
Ken Feinberg and Camille Biros, who helped design the Epstein program and will act as consultants on individual cases, said they are eager to launch the program after delays because of the opposition of the Virgin Islands attorney general.
"What all these victims want, more than compensation I think, is validation," said Feinberg, who became well known for his work on the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. "They want to hear from the independent administrator, 'I validate your claim.' The women haven't gotten that from the estate. I think that's as important as compensation."
The Epstein administrators anticipate around 100 claims, though that is a very preliminary figure, Biros said. A victim has the option of proceeding with the claims process while also pursuing a lawsuit against the $634 million estate in court. If a victim accepts the offer from the claims program, she agrees to not pursue a lawsuit further.
Biros could not predict the range of settlement offers Epstein victims will consider. But she said some of the key factors under consideration in the Epstein program mirror ones for victims abused by priests as kids.
"We look at age, duration of abuse. Was it one incident or over many years?" Biros explained.
"We look at the MO _ whether they plied (the victim) with drugs. Was there a routine of alcohol?
"A very key aspect is the lifetime effects of this abuse. That's one thing we focus on in addition to the horror of the abuse," Biros said. She and Feinberg have awarded $370 million to priest abuse victims through programs established for 23 diocese in five states.
Interviews with Epstein victims will be conducted by Jordana Feldman, the former deputy special master of the 9/11 fund.
Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George initially opposed the program, arguing the estate wrongly left victims out of the design process. She dropped her opposition earlier this month following negotiations with the estate and Feinberg. Many attorneys for Epstein victims also indicated they were willing to participate in the claims process.
