WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Settlement talks are beginning in a South Florida courtroom in a lawsuit filed by two women who claim their rights as victims were violated in a case involving teenage girls and a wealthy sex offender.
The private discussions are set Monday in West Palm Beach between attorneys for the women and federal prosecutors. The women known as Jane Does 1 and 2 claim they were improperly left in the dark about a non-prosecution agreement reached between the Justice Department and financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Under the 2008 deal, Epstein was permitted to plead guilty to lesser state charges and served just over a year in jail. Authorities say he sexually abused at least 30 girls between 1999 and 2007.
The lawsuit could invalidate the Epstein agreement and possibly reopen the case.