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Billionaires Subpoenaed In Epstein Lawsuit Against JPMorgan

The co-founder of Google and the chairman of Hyatt Hotels Group were subpoenaed along with two other US business leaders as part of a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase & Co. over its ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>Source: Ikechukwu Julius Ugwu/Unsplash</p></div>
Source: Ikechukwu Julius Ugwu/Unsplash

The co-founder of Google and the chairman of Hyatt Hotels Group were subpoenaed along with two other US business leaders as part of a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase & Co. over its ties to Jeffrey Epstein, according to a person familiar with the case.

Sergey Brin, Thomas Pritzker, Michael Ovitz, and Mortimer Zuckerman were served with information requests by lawyers for the US Virgin Islands, the person said. The territory claims JPMorgan knowingly benefited financially from Epstein’s sex-trafficking scheme. 

The subpoenas were first reported by the Wall Street Journal. It’s unclear why the businessmen were asked for material in the case. 

Google co-founder Brin is worth an estimated $91.6 billion, while Pritzker is a member of the Chicago business dynasty that also includes Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. Ovitz co-founded Creative Artists Agency and briefly served as president of Walt Disney. Property developer Zuckerman is a former owner of the New York Daily News.

Ovitz and spokespeople for Alphabet and Hyatt did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Zuckerman could not immediately be reached for comment.

USVI and an unidentified Epstein victim both sued JPMorgan last year. Epstein was a client of the bank between 1998 and 2013. The suits focus on Epstein’s relationship with Jes Staley, the former head of JPMorgan’s private bank, whom the plaintiffs claims had knowledge of his client’s criminal activities. 

The bank has argued that it didn’t know or participate in Epstein’s sex trafficking venture. Earlier this month, a federal court judge dismissed some of USVI’s and Doe’s claims but failed to throw out allegations that the banks benefited financially from the venture. JPMorgan has also sued Staley, arguing he should be held liable for any damages stemming from the suits. 

Staley and Mary Erdoes, JPMorgan’s current private banking head, have already been deposed by plaintiffs over their relationship with Epstein. 

JPMorgan Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon has also agreed to take part in a deposition, despite lawyers initially arguing he had no involvement in decisions about Epstein’s accounts. 

The cases are Jane Doe 1 v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, 22-cv-10019, and USVI v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, 22-cv-10904-UA, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan)

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