By Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK (Reuters) – JPMorgan Chase & Co on Tuesday rejected the U.S. Virgin Islands’ demand that it turn over more documents concerning Chief Executive Jamie Dimon for a lawsuit accusing the bank of aiding in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking.
In a Tuesday filing in Manhattan federal court, JPMorgan accused the territory of pandering for media attention by demanding documents from Dimon from 2015 to 2019.
The largest U.S. bank said Dimon was not involved in any decisions regarding Epstein’s account, and that it had dropped the financier as a client in 2013.
It also called the U.S. Virgin Islands’ demand a “fishing expedition,” after the territory had obtained a “massive trove” of information in litigation against Epstein’s estate, where it recovered more than $105 million.
“Dimon is not relevant to this action,” JPMorgan said. “If there were evidence supporting discovery from JPMC from 2014-2019, USVI would have found it.”
Lawyers for the U.S. Virgin Islands did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a Feb. 23 court filing, the territory had called Dimon “a likely source of relevant and unique information” about decisions to keep Epstein as a client, and discussions on Epstein’s referrals of prominent and wealthy potential clients.
The U.S. Virgin Islands is seeking damages from JPMorgan for missing red flags about Epstein’s misconduct on Little St. James, a private island he owned there.
JPMorgan on Tuesday also asked a judge to reject a demand by Epstein victims for more documents for their own lawsuit.
Both cases focus in part on Epstein’s relationship with Jes Staley, a former JPMorgan private banking chief who has acknowledged having a friendship with Epstein but denied knowing about his alleged crimes.
Epstein died in August 2019 at age 66 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Dimon and Staley, who later served as Barclays Plc’s chief executive, are not defendants in either lawsuit.
The case is Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands v JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 22-10904.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Stephen Coates)
