WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:03.480 What's up, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the 2 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:06.879 Epstein Chronicles. A couple of days ago, we were talking 3 00:00:06.919 --> 00:00:09.720 about Leon Black and how he had won a court 4 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:13.960 battle to sanction one of his accusers. Well, now The 5 00:00:13.960 --> 00:00:18.000 Guardian has a very extensive article out going a little 6 00:00:18.039 --> 00:00:21.480 bit deeper into the situation with Leon Black and the 7 00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:25.679 accuser who is accusing him of abusing her and some 8 00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:29.679 of the allegations. Some of the information that we're learning 9 00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:33.399 is very disturbing, such as Leon Black and his team 10 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:36.960 reaching out to the judge behind the scenes. That doesn't 11 00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:39.560 seem like a very good idea, does it. That doesn't 12 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:43.719 seem like it's in the spirit of fairness, especially considering 13 00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:48.759 how powerful Leon Black is. Anyway, So we have a 14 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:52.240 very extensive article here from The Guardian, and we're going 15 00:00:52.320 --> 00:00:56.640 to break it down into multiple pieces. So let's dive 16 00:00:56.679 --> 00:01:00.359 into episode one of this Guardian article and see what 17 00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:03.880 they have to say about Leon Black and his ongoing 18 00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:09.200 legal battle with his accuser. Headlined Epstein link. Billionaire accused 19 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:12.599 of rape privately reached out the federal judge to defend 20 00:01:12.599 --> 00:01:17.799 his good name. Like what that doesn't seem like the 21 00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:20.040 proper way to do it? Shouldn't you do that inside 22 00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:25.359 the courtroom? Did the judge receive anything improper from Leon Black? 23 00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:29.599 And we're talking about Judge Rakoff here, So what did 24 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:31.879 he receive from Leon Black? If anything? And why is 25 00:01:31.959 --> 00:01:35.319 Leon Black reaching out to him behind the scenes. Sounds 26 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:37.640 a whole lot like what Jeffrey Epstein was doing with 27 00:01:37.719 --> 00:01:43.040 the NPA. This article was authored by Johannah Berkman and 28 00:01:43.159 --> 00:01:46.879 Johannah great job. This is a very very good article, 29 00:01:47.239 --> 00:01:51.680 very well put together and exactly on point. Lawyers for 30 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:54.760 Leon Black, the billionaire investor who has been accused in 31 00:01:54.760 --> 00:01:57.920 a civil lawsuit of raping a teenage girl inside Epstein's 32 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:00.519 New York townhouse in two thousand and two, reached out 33 00:02:00.519 --> 00:02:03.799 to a powerful federal judge in twenty twenty four to 34 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:07.879 raise doubts about the alleged victims claims. A Guardian investigation 35 00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:11.719 has found the move set off a month long court proceeding, 36 00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:15.960 which was conducted outside public view and led to US 37 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:19.039 District Judge Jed Raykoff to reverse a two and a 38 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:21.800 half million dollar reward that had been granted to the 39 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:25.400 alleged victim in a separate Epstein related class action lawsuit. 40 00:02:25.639 --> 00:02:28.800 According to court records. She was later given a much 41 00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:34.879 smaller settlement in the class action case. Absolutely disgusting. I mean, 42 00:02:34.919 --> 00:02:38.360 for real, Judge Raykoff, Really, that's what you're doing. You're 43 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:41.599 going back and you're reversing a decision because Leon Black 44 00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:44.719 and his people reached out to you. Cowardice, That's what 45 00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:48.599 it is, straight up cowardice. Jane Doe, as she's known 46 00:02:48.599 --> 00:02:51.199 in court filings, his claim she was trafficked by Epstein 47 00:02:51.479 --> 00:02:54.280 and rape by Black when she was a teenager more 48 00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:58.360 than two decades ago. The Guardian's investigation is revealing new 49 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:03.000 details about the private communitytion in Black's legal campaign, which 50 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:06.960 undermined Doe in her civil lawsuit against the Wall Street billionaire. 51 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:12.479 And can you imagine being this Dough going up against 52 00:03:12.520 --> 00:03:15.360 somebody like Leon Black and then having the federal system 53 00:03:15.400 --> 00:03:18.919 come down on you on behalf of Leon Black. It 54 00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:26.280 is unconscionable, Absolutely unconscionable. In a recent court order, Dough 55 00:03:26.319 --> 00:03:30.199 faced a significant setback when Jessica Clark, the federal judge 56 00:03:30.360 --> 00:03:33.840 presiding over her civil lawsuit against Black, sanctioned Doe and 57 00:03:33.879 --> 00:03:38.000 her former lawyer for serious sanctionable misconduct in the case. 58 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:42.080 They said that the former lawyer had repeatedly lied to 59 00:03:42.120 --> 00:03:45.400 the court and opposing council and directed her client to 60 00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:48.960 destroy a social media account. Dough was sanctioned for having 61 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:53.520 falsified some sonogram images that appeared in personal journals, which 62 00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:56.680 were submitted to the court as evidence in her abuse 63 00:03:56.960 --> 00:04:00.719 by Epstein. However, it was not a complete victory for Black, 64 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:03.840 as the judge also ruled that the high stakes lawsuit 65 00:04:04.039 --> 00:04:07.639 could proceed. But make no mistake, this is a serious 66 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:13.120 setback for Jane Doe. The fact that she was sanctioned, 67 00:04:13.240 --> 00:04:15.599 the fact that her lawyer was sanctioned. That's going to 68 00:04:15.639 --> 00:04:19.160 come up in any criminal or civil case, right and 69 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:21.439 you know that Leon Black's team, they're going to look 70 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:27.160 to utilize that. Black, the seventy four year old former 71 00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:30.439 Apollo Global Management CEO, pet Epstein one hundred and seventy 72 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:34.319 million according to an investigation by the Senate Finance Committee, 73 00:04:34.519 --> 00:04:37.839 which he says was for tax and estate planning. Can 74 00:04:37.879 --> 00:04:41.319 you imagine paying someone one hundred and seventy million American 75 00:04:41.399 --> 00:04:47.360 dollars for tax and estate planning. Black has denied allegations 76 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:49.480 that he raped or ever met, though who is now 77 00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:52.639 forty years old. He's never been charged with any crimes 78 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:57.000 and connection to Epstein or otherwise. I'm sure him paying 79 00:04:57.040 --> 00:04:59.639 sixty two million dollars to the US Virgin Islands to 80 00:04:59.639 --> 00:05:02.480 get his name out of the fire played a part 81 00:05:02.480 --> 00:05:07.079 in that, though right. The Epstein scandal has prompted questions 82 00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:10.879 about why the accused sex traffickers elite circle of friends 83 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:15.639 and associates is not faced greater scrutiny that may change. 84 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:18.879 Black is due to testify before the House Oversight Committee 85 00:05:19.040 --> 00:05:21.920 on June twenty six, according to a person familiar with 86 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:25.759 the matter, as part of the committee's investigation into, among 87 00:05:25.839 --> 00:05:30.720 other things, Epstein's sex trafficking rings. He's also facing questions 88 00:05:30.759 --> 00:05:33.680 from the Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, who claimed in a 89 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:36.879 recent letter to Black that the Epstein files released by 90 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:40.240 the Department of Justice remove any lingering doubt as to 91 00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:43.759 whether Black was connected to women in Epstein's network, and 92 00:05:43.800 --> 00:05:46.959 alleged that powerful associates in the US and abroad we're 93 00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:51.079 surveilling and paying off women on Black's behalf. We've seen 94 00:05:51.079 --> 00:05:53.399 the emails, and we know that they reached out to 95 00:05:53.439 --> 00:05:57.079 Russian special services to do that. But I guess that's 96 00:05:57.079 --> 00:06:00.199 no big deal, right. I guess it's the girl who 97 00:06:00.279 --> 00:06:03.639 was abused allegedly by Leon Black, who should be sanctioned. 98 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:08.759 Black's attorney, Susan Strich, called Widen's assertions outrageous and false 99 00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:12.800 in an emailed statement, and characterized the senator's comments as 100 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:19.600 a politically motivated attack. What now politically motivated? That's taking 101 00:06:19.639 --> 00:06:23.319 it a bit far. Maybe, just maybe Leon Black is 102 00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:29.040 a dirt bag? How about that, Susan Strich. The Guardian's investigation, 103 00:06:29.160 --> 00:06:32.240 based on access to extensive court records, many of which 104 00:06:32.279 --> 00:06:34.879 are still under seal but are due to be unsealed soon, 105 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:38.199 reveals how Black and his legal team's private pleas to 106 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:41.720 a federal judge led to a legal battle involving extensive 107 00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:45.480 written submissions and multiple hearings in a case in which 108 00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:49.720 he was not a party. Well, of course, got to 109 00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:53.000 have that extra pull behind the scenes, because I'm Leon Black, 110 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:58.439 mister big shot. It included an extraordinary personal appeal from 111 00:06:58.439 --> 00:07:01.720 Black to Judge Rakoff, a well known and respected jurist 112 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:05.800 based in the Southern District of New York. The written message, 113 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:09.000 which was obtained by the Guardian, portrayed Black as a victim, 114 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:13.040 invoking the death of Black's father, disputing those credibility and 115 00:07:13.079 --> 00:07:16.319 citing the damage the allegations have done to Black's reputation. 116 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:21.000 It was submitted by the billionaire's lawyers days before Raycoff 117 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:23.560 denied the two and a half million dollar reward that 118 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:26.720 Doe was due to receive in the Epstein related class 119 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:32.720 action lawsuit. Was Judge Rakoff paid off? Look? I know 120 00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:35.079 that's a big question, right and I don't have any 121 00:07:35.120 --> 00:07:38.879 evidence to back that up. But something here is a miss. 122 00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:42.720 Why would Judge Rakoff do what Leam Black asked him 123 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:45.120 to do? I mean, I guess Judge Raykoff could think 124 00:07:45.160 --> 00:07:48.519 it's the right thing to do, but that would really 125 00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:53.000 call his judgment into question in my opinion. In another twist, 126 00:07:53.040 --> 00:07:56.040 Black's legal effort was bolstered by a high profile lawyer 127 00:07:56.160 --> 00:07:59.959 who was publicly heralded as an advocate for Epstein's victims. 128 00:08:00.720 --> 00:08:04.319 All these communications occurred outside of public view. And remember 129 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:06.639 when I told you that all the lawyers involved, even 130 00:08:06.680 --> 00:08:09.879 the ones that are representing the survivors, shouldn't be trusted. 131 00:08:10.439 --> 00:08:12.600 This is what I mean. The vast majority of these 132 00:08:12.680 --> 00:08:16.000 lawyers are just looking to collect a bag, and they 133 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:17.879 know that this is a big case, and they know 134 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:19.560 they can make a lot of money if they get 135 00:08:19.560 --> 00:08:23.600 a settlement, so a lot of these people don't even 136 00:08:23.639 --> 00:08:27.920 care about the survivors. In an exclusive statement to The 137 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:31.279 Guardian in which Doe described her feelings about what had transpired, 138 00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:34.159 she said were often taught that the justice system is 139 00:08:34.200 --> 00:08:37.960 here to protect victims and correct wrongs. My experience has 140 00:08:37.960 --> 00:08:41.759 shown me that it's far more complicated than that. Justice 141 00:08:41.799 --> 00:08:44.919 is not always blind. It's often shaped by power, access 142 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:48.320 and who is able to withstand the process. I'm still here. 143 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:51.200 I am not done. In July of twenty twenty three, 144 00:08:51.399 --> 00:08:54.039 Jane Do alleged in a legal complaint filed against Leon 145 00:08:54.200 --> 00:08:56.919 Black in the Southern District of New York that Jeffrey 146 00:08:56.960 --> 00:09:00.440 Epstein introduced her to Black at Epstein's townhouse in the 147 00:09:00.519 --> 00:09:03.720 late spring of two thousand and two. She was sixteen 148 00:09:03.799 --> 00:09:07.399 years old. Black, who was worth an estimated fourteen billion, 149 00:09:07.799 --> 00:09:11.320 was the chair in chief executive officer of Apollo Global Management, 150 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:14.759 a private equity firm he co founded and led until 151 00:09:14.799 --> 00:09:18.399 he stepped down in March of twenty twenty one in 152 00:09:18.440 --> 00:09:20.639 the wake of the revelations he paid tens of millions 153 00:09:20.679 --> 00:09:23.840 of dollars to Epstein. Black has said the payments were 154 00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:27.159 for legitimate financial advice, and that he was completely unaware 155 00:09:27.440 --> 00:09:31.559 of misconduct by Epstein, who, in emails released earlier this 156 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:35.120 year by the Department of Justice, sometimes referred to Black 157 00:09:35.399 --> 00:09:38.279 as mister big. Well, that's funny because I think that 158 00:09:38.519 --> 00:09:43.279 Leon Black is mister big, but mister big dickhead. Apollo 159 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:47.080 announced in January of twenty twenty one that an internal 160 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:50.399 review by the Decker LLP law firm, which Apollo's board 161 00:09:50.399 --> 00:09:56.080 commissioned to investigate Black's previous professional relationship with Epstein, found 162 00:09:56.159 --> 00:10:02.320 Black's payments to Ebstein were four bonafid financial services. Oh god, okay, sure, 163 00:10:02.480 --> 00:10:06.240 we believe that the whole investigation should be over. Everything 164 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:11.360 was just a big mistake, sorry, mister Leon Black. The 165 00:10:11.440 --> 00:10:13.600 report found that there was no evidence that Black was 166 00:10:13.639 --> 00:10:17.399 involved in Epstein's criminal activities, and that review has since 167 00:10:17.440 --> 00:10:21.440 faced scrutiny, however, including by Senator Wyden, who's claimed to 168 00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:24.720 staff uncovered evidence that money paid by Black to Epstein 169 00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:29.320 was used to finance Epstein's sex trafficking operation. Black's lawyer 170 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:33.840 called Widen's attacks on the decorate report completely baseless. Nope, 171 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:37.960 not baseless. Sorry, that report is garbage and the whole 172 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:41.600 entire idea behind that report was to whitewash what was 173 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:44.440 going on with Leon Black. That's all that report was, 174 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:47.519 and it did a pretty good job. Right, they're still 175 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:50.000 talking about it like that report means something like that 176 00:10:50.120 --> 00:10:54.320 report is important when it's not. What's really important is 177 00:10:54.360 --> 00:10:57.480 what Leon Black was up to. What's really important is 178 00:10:57.519 --> 00:11:00.679 that he lied about Jeffrey Epstein, and he lied about 179 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:04.279 that relationship for years. That's what's important. So considering all 180 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:07.080 of that, why exactly should I be giving Leon Black 181 00:11:07.159 --> 00:11:12.200 the benefit of the doubt. In her legal complaint, Do 182 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:15.240 alleged that Epstein told her that Black was a special friend, 183 00:11:15.559 --> 00:11:19.200 and that because she was Epstein's special girl, he had 184 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:21.440 chosen to give her to Black the same kind of 185 00:11:21.440 --> 00:11:25.240 massage treatment that she gave to him. Do understood. According 186 00:11:25.279 --> 00:11:27.840 to her legal complaint, this meant that she was expected 187 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:30.840 to strip naked and have sex. But when Doe and 188 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:33.639 Black went up to a third floor massage room, she 189 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:36.600 alleged in the complaint, Black threw her down on the 190 00:11:36.600 --> 00:11:40.320 massage table and then abused her vaginally and anally with 191 00:11:40.440 --> 00:11:44.480 sex toys. He then bit her regina, she alleged, cause 192 00:11:44.519 --> 00:11:48.480 him bleeding and extreme pain. Reflectively, The complaint says Dough 193 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:51.639 kicked him, and in response to the complaint, alleges he 194 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:55.559 became enraged then raped her. Do alleged in her complaint 195 00:11:55.679 --> 00:11:58.639 that the internal abrasion she suffered from the alleged attack 196 00:11:58.799 --> 00:12:02.000 that day continued to cause her pain more than twenty 197 00:12:02.039 --> 00:12:06.200 years later. The complaint described Dough as having autism. While 198 00:12:06.200 --> 00:12:10.200 she has an above average IQ, the complaint alleges her 199 00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:15.039 neural divergence makes her extremely trusting. That is just beyond 200 00:12:15.080 --> 00:12:19.080 the pill. Imagine going after a young girl who has autism. 201 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:22.960 What kind of monster does something like that? Oh, that's right, Well, 202 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:26.279 that's in Jeffrey Epstein's orbit, that's who. In a subsequent 203 00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:30.840 amended complaint filed by Doe's en lawyer Jean Christiansen, claims 204 00:12:30.840 --> 00:12:34.320 about the alleged assault by Black remained substantially the same. 205 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:38.120 Some key details about how Doe said she met Maxwell 206 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:42.120 and was trafficked by both Maxwell and Epstein changed significantly. 207 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:46.279 According to a later court order, The Guardian has not 208 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:50.080 independently verified any of those claims. Well, that's hard to do, 209 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:55.120 so it comes down to who do you trust. Black's 210 00:12:55.120 --> 00:13:00.120 attorneys have said those allegations are entirely fabricated. Black's lawyer 211 00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:03.440 have also previously called for Whigdoor, the law firm that 212 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:06.960 represented Doe until last year, to be legally sanctioned for 213 00:13:07.039 --> 00:13:10.799 relying on false allegations and made up stories in other cases. 214 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:14.639 When Doe filed the suit against Black, Whigdor had already 215 00:13:14.679 --> 00:13:17.720 filed two other lawsuits against Black on behalf of women 216 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:21.799 who also alleged e rape them. One of those lawsuits 217 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:25.840 by Guzel Ganieva, a Russian model and former mistress, who 218 00:13:25.919 --> 00:13:28.639 claimed that she was dismissed because she had previously signed 219 00:13:28.919 --> 00:13:31.559 a non disclosure agreement for which he had been paid 220 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:36.039 nine and a half million dollars by Black. The other lawsuit, 221 00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:39.320 filed by a woman named Sherry Pearson, who alleged that 222 00:13:39.320 --> 00:13:42.519 Black and raped her at Epstein's townhouse, was discontinued with 223 00:13:42.559 --> 00:13:45.919 prejudice and without cost to any party. As against the other. 224 00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:50.600 Black has said he never met Pearson. Black slawyers have 225 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:54.159 said the allegations by both women have no merit. Even 226 00:13:54.200 --> 00:13:56.840 as she pursued a civil lawsuit against Black, Doe was 227 00:13:56.879 --> 00:13:59.600 involved in another legal case in the Southern District of 228 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:02.799 New York. This one connected to the crimes of Epstein 229 00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:07.240 that he was accused of before his twenty nineteen suicide. 230 00:14:07.320 --> 00:14:10.200 In twenty twenty two, a class of Epstein victims sued 231 00:14:10.240 --> 00:14:13.879 JP Morgan Chase, alleging that the bank had violated anti 232 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:19.240 trafficking laws because of its participation and intentional involvement in 233 00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:24.799 Epstein's sex trafficking operation. The victims were represented by Bradley Edwards, 234 00:14:25.080 --> 00:14:28.240 the Florida plaintiff's lawyer who has represented hundreds of Epstein 235 00:14:28.320 --> 00:14:31.600 victims and is famous for helping to expose the two 236 00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:35.639 thousand and eight Sweetheart non prosecution agreement that shielded Epstein 237 00:14:35.879 --> 00:14:40.799 for years. Doesn't make him infallible, and it certainly doesn't 238 00:14:40.879 --> 00:14:45.679 put him above criticism or approach right. The JP Morgan 239 00:14:45.720 --> 00:14:49.600 class action lawsuit, which was overseen by Judge Rakoff, settled 240 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:51.960 for two hundred and ninety million dollars in June of 241 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:56.080 twenty twenty three without an admission of liability. Though JP 242 00:14:56.240 --> 00:15:01.120 Morgan said it regretted its association with Epstein, It included 243 00:15:01.120 --> 00:15:04.600 a fund for Epstein abuse survivors to compensate them for 244 00:15:04.679 --> 00:15:09.279 physical and emotional injuries. A Claims administrator was appointed to 245 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:13.399 oversee the fund. Edwards firm Edwards Henderson, together with co 246 00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:16.360 council Boy Schiller, were paid eighty seven million dollars for 247 00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:20.440 their work representing Epstein victims in the JP Morgan class 248 00:15:20.440 --> 00:15:24.720 action lawsuit eighty seven Excuse me not eighty three? Eighty 249 00:15:24.759 --> 00:15:27.840 seven million dollars. That is quite the bag to collect. 250 00:15:28.399 --> 00:15:32.960 Quite the bag. In late October twenty twenty three, Dough 251 00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:36.200 was interviewed by the claims administrator in the JP Morgan case. 252 00:15:36.919 --> 00:15:39.480 She later found out that she was being allocated two 253 00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:42.679 and a half million dollars. It was a moment of 254 00:15:42.679 --> 00:15:46.120 elation for Doe, her adoptive mother told The Guardian, because 255 00:15:46.159 --> 00:15:48.240 it was the first time she felt that her trauma 256 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:52.480 was being recognized. All right, folks, we're gonna wrap up 257 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:54.960 right here, and in the next episode, we're gonna pick 258 00:15:55.039 --> 00:15:58.279 up where we left off. All the information that goes 259 00:15:58.320 --> 00:16:01.519 with this episode can be found in the description box. 260 00:16:01.759 --> 00:16:04.440 What's up, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the 261 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:07.480 Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're going to pick up 262 00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:10.039 where he left off with the article from The Guardian 263 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:14.720 that was authored by Johanna Berkman about Leon Black and 264 00:16:14.759 --> 00:16:18.639 the accusations made against him. Judge Raykoff approved the claims 265 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:24.480 administrators proposed allocations on January fifth, twenty twenty four, including 266 00:16:24.519 --> 00:16:27.919 the allocation for Dough, but he said he intended to 267 00:16:27.960 --> 00:16:31.639 exercise an oversight role to ensure the allocation of class 268 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:36.080 funds was fair and reasonable. The oversight role would be 269 00:16:36.120 --> 00:16:38.919 ex partey, he said, meaning that each side of any 270 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:41.519 conflict could make their case to the judge without the 271 00:16:41.559 --> 00:16:44.759 other side being aware of it. It was an unusual 272 00:16:44.840 --> 00:16:48.399 move for Raykoff. The judge, who had been called a 273 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:52.480 true judicial Maverick, has spoken publicly about the importance of 274 00:16:52.519 --> 00:16:56.759 transparency in the justice system. Everything needs to be public, 275 00:16:57.080 --> 00:16:59.480 the judge told The New York Times in two thousand 276 00:16:59.480 --> 00:17:02.840 and nine. The legitimacy of our court comes from the 277 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:05.920 fact that they reason openly on the record based on 278 00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:08.960 the facts, unless, of course, that includes Jeffrey Epstein right 279 00:17:09.160 --> 00:17:11.839 or his friends, then it has to be done behind 280 00:17:11.880 --> 00:17:16.960 closed doors, right, Judge Rakoff in January twenty twenty four, 281 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:19.359 within days of Dough finding out about the two and 282 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:23.000 a half million dollar allocation, her whigdoor lawyer, who was 283 00:17:23.039 --> 00:17:27.039 participating in a mediation with Black's Council involving another client's case, 284 00:17:27.519 --> 00:17:30.640 disclosed that Doe had been allocated a major award in 285 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:33.920 the JP Morgan settlement. According to a chronology of events 286 00:17:33.960 --> 00:17:37.559 described in a twenty twenty six court order, what happened 287 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:40.960 next would be later characterized by Doe's then lawyer as 288 00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:46.680 a violation of confidentiality. Black's counsel, Susan Estrich, contacted Judge 289 00:17:46.759 --> 00:17:50.480 Raykoff on Black's behalf. Must be nice to have those 290 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:53.279 kind of lawyers, huh, that can reach out from behind 291 00:17:53.319 --> 00:17:56.119 the scenes and talk to a judge when he's not 292 00:17:56.160 --> 00:17:59.680 on the bench. That is so unacceptable to me that 293 00:17:59.720 --> 00:18:03.680 our don't even know how to describe it. The judge 294 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:06.119 needs to be impartial and there most certainly shouldn't be 295 00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:09.799 any behind the scenes negotiating or deal making. But unfortunately 296 00:18:09.920 --> 00:18:13.039 Judge Rakoff, like the rest of them, they say one 297 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:18.720 thing and they do another. On February twenty first, twenty 298 00:18:18.759 --> 00:18:22.720 twenty four, private and undocketed letter to Raycoff, Estrich claimed 299 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:26.319 that Dough was perpetrating serious fraud on the court and 300 00:18:26.440 --> 00:18:29.039 was not a real Epstein victim. According to a court 301 00:18:29.160 --> 00:18:33.559 order that subsequently described strich letter. According to someone familiar 302 00:18:33.640 --> 00:18:36.400 with the matter, Estrich, who was not representing a party 303 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:39.880 in the JP Morgan case, acknowledged in the letter that 304 00:18:39.960 --> 00:18:44.079 reaching out to Judge Rakoff was unorthodox. Yeah, no, shit, 305 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:48.960 not something that happens ever, But here we are. When 306 00:18:48.960 --> 00:18:51.440 it comes to Jeffrey Epstein and his buddies, all the 307 00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:55.880 rules go out the window. Estrich declined to comment on 308 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:59.240 questions by The Guardian about the exchange. In the letter. 309 00:18:59.400 --> 00:19:02.200 Estrich as dray Coff to open an inquiry into Doe 310 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:05.799 and the allocation, according to a person familiar with the matter, 311 00:19:06.680 --> 00:19:09.279 and said she had reason to believe that the court 312 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:13.400 appointed Class Council, Brad Edwards and other lawyers would have 313 00:19:13.440 --> 00:19:17.680 directly relevant information to bear on the issues. So it 314 00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:20.839 looks like all these lawyers got together conspired to make 315 00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:23.160 sure that Jane Doe didn't get any money, And the 316 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:25.119 fact that the judge was playing ball with this is 317 00:19:25.160 --> 00:19:27.960 crazy and it does make me wonder what kind of evidence, 318 00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:32.200 if any, they had to back that claim up. Estrich 319 00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:36.839 letters succeeded Raycoff and Edwards, representing Class Council, agreed to 320 00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:39.640 take a closer look at those claims, court record show. 321 00:19:40.519 --> 00:19:44.319 Legal experts consulted by the Guardian said an intervention such 322 00:19:44.319 --> 00:19:47.000 as the one made by estrich On. Black's behalf raised 323 00:19:47.079 --> 00:19:51.279 questions because such outside legal interventions in a proceeding are 324 00:19:51.359 --> 00:19:55.119 quite limited. She has no interest to be involved in that, 325 00:19:56.079 --> 00:19:59.359 and the fact that Raykoff let it occur is unacceptable. 326 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:02.680 And I think that Raykoff should have nothing to do 327 00:20:02.920 --> 00:20:05.279 with anything that has to do with Epstein moving forward. 328 00:20:05.920 --> 00:20:10.480 He can't be trusted. Somebody who has an interest in 329 00:20:10.519 --> 00:20:13.799 a piece of litigation may not intervene in some other 330 00:20:13.880 --> 00:20:16.960 disputable party against whom he is opposed just because he 331 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:19.799 would like to do them damage. In that case, That's 332 00:20:19.799 --> 00:20:22.519 not how the system works. You litigate your own cases, 333 00:20:23.200 --> 00:20:26.559 said sam is a car Off, a professor of constitutional 334 00:20:26.680 --> 00:20:29.720 law at New York University who's a leading scholar on 335 00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:33.640 class action lawsuits. Yeah, nothing about that seems right to me, 336 00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:36.680 and I'm certainly not some leading scholar. But all the 337 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:39.559 backroom deal making, all the shenanigans that we've seen time 338 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:41.920 and time again when it comes to Epstein and his friends, 339 00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:45.839 I'm done with it. Everything needs to be fully transparent, 340 00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:49.319 everything in deary. If a lawyer for a defendant who's 341 00:20:49.319 --> 00:20:51.640 accused of rape writes to a judge and a class 342 00:20:51.640 --> 00:20:54.720 action in which that alleged victim has been given a claim. 343 00:20:55.279 --> 00:20:57.400 It could even be seen as a way of harassing 344 00:20:57.480 --> 00:21:02.119 them and calling their testimony into repute. He added, It's 345 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:05.200 not allowed if it's malintentioned, and the line between what's 346 00:21:05.240 --> 00:21:09.519 allowed and what's malintentioned is a very difficult one. I 347 00:21:09.559 --> 00:21:11.880 put the blame on Judge Rakoff. He could have stopped it, 348 00:21:11.960 --> 00:21:16.240 he didn't. I wonder why, what did he have to gain? 349 00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:18.799 What kind of relationship does he have with Leon Black. 350 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:23.400 The Guardian reached out to Judge Rakoff for comment. His 351 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:26.519 law clerk said in an emailed statement, it's a matter 352 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:29.599 of record that the great majority of Epstein related proceedings 353 00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:33.240 before Judge Rakoff have been sealed at the express request 354 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:36.559 of the various council for Epstein's victims in order to 355 00:21:36.599 --> 00:21:40.640 protect the victim's identifying information, and that all parties have 356 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:44.039 at all times consented to this ceiling. Beyond this, Judge 357 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:47.599 Rakoff is prohibited by law from responding to your questions 358 00:21:47.640 --> 00:21:51.119 as they relay directly or indirectly to an ongoing proceeding 359 00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:54.240 before Judge Clark. So he can't respond, but he can 360 00:21:54.279 --> 00:21:57.720 get involved. His case can be moved by what happened 361 00:21:57.720 --> 00:22:01.839 in the other case. I don't like that, and I 362 00:22:01.839 --> 00:22:03.559 don't care if that's how the system set up. It's 363 00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:08.599 wrong and it shouldn't be the case. On August second, 364 00:22:08.640 --> 00:22:11.920 twenty twenty three, this reporter, preparing to publish an article 365 00:22:12.039 --> 00:22:16.279 in another publication, reached out to Leon Black, spokesperson with Clay, 366 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:20.079 with a list of questions about financial and sexual allegations 367 00:22:20.119 --> 00:22:24.160 related to Black's ties to Epstein. The email included one 368 00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:27.240 question about the lawsuit that Doe had filed against Black 369 00:22:27.400 --> 00:22:31.359 a week earlier. Two days later, Black's team emailed a response, 370 00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:34.880 including a statement from Mester Rich, Black's lawyer about those case, 371 00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:38.599 predicting it would be promptly dismissed. Yeah, Well, it's easy 372 00:22:38.640 --> 00:22:40.480 to be confident if you know the judge is going 373 00:22:40.519 --> 00:22:43.039 to play ball, right, makes it a lot easier to 374 00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:47.920 be confident. Later that same morning, this reporter got an 375 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:50.720 unexpected call on her mobile phone from a number she 376 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:54.640 did not recognize. The caller introduced himself as Brad Edwards, 377 00:22:54.880 --> 00:22:58.400 class counsel in the Epstein victims lawsuit against JP Morgan, 378 00:22:58.920 --> 00:23:01.480 which had settled for two hundred and ninety million one 379 00:23:01.559 --> 00:23:05.640 month earlier. As class counsel. Edwards said he had been 380 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:08.000 in touch with the entire class of victims and had 381 00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:12.359 access to hundreds of thousands of documents. When a particular 382 00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:15.359 case gets too much attention, he said, according to a 383 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:18.839 contemporaneous record of the call, people would call up with 384 00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:22.039 stories about being victims of Epstein and he would have 385 00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:24.799 to sift through and figure out if they were true. 386 00:23:25.839 --> 00:23:28.720 Not one piece of Doe's story could ever be corroborated, 387 00:23:29.079 --> 00:23:31.599 and a lot of what she says just definitely could 388 00:23:31.599 --> 00:23:35.039 not have ever happened, Edwards said. He said he knew 389 00:23:35.079 --> 00:23:38.319 Dough was alleging she had met Black through Epstein, so 390 00:23:38.440 --> 00:23:40.720 in order for the Leon part to be true, the 391 00:23:40.759 --> 00:23:44.079 trafficking to Jeffrey Epstein would have to be true, Edward said. 392 00:23:44.880 --> 00:23:47.720 He said the timeline of those claims can't make sense 393 00:23:47.880 --> 00:23:51.160 for many reasons, but when pressed for details, he said 394 00:23:51.160 --> 00:23:53.839 he could not say any more because it would expose 395 00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:57.759 other clients. After making these comments, Edwards said he wanted 396 00:23:57.759 --> 00:24:00.559 his remarks to be off the record, meaning they should 397 00:24:00.599 --> 00:24:04.000 not be published. Well that's not very good, is it again? 398 00:24:04.599 --> 00:24:09.960 Transparency' brad for you too. That goes for everybody. If 399 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:11.880 we're going to get to the bottom of this. We 400 00:24:11.960 --> 00:24:16.160 need honest players on both sides, and unfortunately, this case 401 00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:18.799