WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Jury selection is getting started in West Palm Beach in a long-running lawsuit involving a wealthy, well-connected financier accused of sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls.
An attorney who represented some victims claims financier Jeffrey Epstein used his own lawsuit to maliciously target the lawyer and damage his reputation. Attorney Bradley Edwards seeks unspecified damages from Epstein in the case beginning Tuesday.
The 65-year-old Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state sex charges, served just over a year in jail and became a registered sex offender. In a secret deal with federal prosecutors led by now-Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, Epstein avoided a federal indictment that could have meant a life prison sentence.
Witness lists indicate some victims could testify in the lawsuit trial. It is expected to last about 10 days.
WPTV confirms that Epstein has brought his own civil lawsuit against an attorney representing some of the women.
WPTV will bring you live updates from court online and on air.