Jes Staley fights back against ‘slanderous’ Epstein claims
Jes Staley’s lawyer has described “slanderous” allegations that he aided and abetted Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes as “baseless but serious”, after the previous government was sued by JPMorgan Chase, his erstwhile employer.
Brendan Sullivan, who’s representing Staley, requested a federal choose in New York for extra time to evaluation tens of 1000’s of paperwork regarding the case, which was introduced after JPMorgan was sued by an alleged Epstein sufferer and the US Virgin Islands, the place the disgraced financier had a house. The lawyer additionally requested for the case against Staley to be severed from the 2 against the US financial institution.
“The allegations against him are slanderous, and the potential damages are astronomical,” Sullivan wrote, including that since his consumer was accused of aiding “one of the most notorious criminals in recent American history” the stakes “could hardly be higher”.
The transfer by Staley to sever his case from JPMorgan’s is the most recent salvo in a high-profile dispute over the financial institution’s resolution to retain Epstein as a consumer for 15 years, earlier than dropping him in 2013.
JPMorgan has referred to as the fits against it “meritless” and subsequently countersued Staley, who was on the financial institution for many years and for a interval managed the connection with Epstein. Its criticism alleged Staley withheld details about crimes he had witnessed at Epstein’s houses whereas being concerned in an inner evaluation of the late intercourse offender’s account.
In a separate submitting, a lawyer for the unnamed Epstein accuser echoed the request for the case against Staley to be separated, claiming it was introduced by JPMorgan to “harass and intimidate” her and others by “seizing on [her] fear” of Staley, who she alleged had additionally abused her.
Staley would now have entry to the sufferer’s “intimate communications”, the lawyer claimed, in addition to personal medical data, and the impact of the swimsuit can be to “force Staley back into her life”.
In his rebuttal of the accusations from JPMorgan and the Epstein accuser, Staley’s lawyer mentioned “disproving these false and highly-publicised allegations is of paramount importance to him”, including that “this court’s scheduling rulings have severely prejudiced [Staley’s] ability to do so”.
He requested the October trial date — which Jed Rakoff, the choose overseeing the case, mentioned final month would take “an act of God” to maneuver — be rescheduled for March 2024.
In a press release, JPMorgan mentioned it made “no sense” to separate Stalely’s case from the others, to which he’s “inextricably linked”.
“Jane Doe herself has directly accused him of horrific sexual misconduct and, if true, he must be held accountable,” it mentioned.
Lawyers for Staley didn’t instantly return a request for remark.
Last month, Rakoff declined to dismiss allegations that JPMorgan benefited from Epstein’s trafficking by ignoring inner warnings after he was arrested for solicitation of a minor in Florida in 2006.
In its countersuit against Staley, JPMorgan has requested the court docket to make the previous government chargeable for any damages that could be awarded against it, in addition to to claw back tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in his pay.
Staley, who has denied wrongdoing, is ready to be questioned below oath by the financial institution’s legal professionals later this month.
Separately, legal professionals for JPMorgan subpoenaed Assured Investment Management, previously generally known as BlueMountain Capital, the place Staley labored after leaving JPMorgan and earlier than turning into chief government of British financial institution Barclays, in accordance with an individual accustomed to the matter on Thursday.
The existence of the subpoena was first reported by Bloomberg.
The 66-year-old American joined BlueMountain as a managing companion in 2013. He left BlueMountain lower than two years later to turn out to be chief government of Barclays in 2015, however resigned after six years following a regulatory investigation within the UK into the way in which he characterised his relationship with Epstein.
Assured Investment Management didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Additional reporting by Ortenca Aliaj and Antoine Gara in New York