The fight over Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, which includes one of Manhattan’s most expensive homes, is set to be a new major battleground following his death by apparent suicide on Saturday.
Prosecutors will have to try determining the full scope of Epstein’s fortune, which will be more challenging because of his death. It is not even clear yet where estate proceedings would take place, as it will depend on which home of Epstein’s is considered his main one.
David Ring, a Los Angeles attorney who has represented victims of sexual assault and abuse, told Bloomberg the process will be “incredibly complicated.”
“It’s going to be a lot of different folks who are going to be battling over this estate and these assets, and I hope the victims come out on top. I think they deserve it,” he said. “But I don’t think the estate is just going to hand it over to them.”
Epstein was not married and did not have any known children, and it is unclear whether he left a will. His relatives include a niece and nephew in New York and his brother, Mark Epstein.
Epstein’s holdings included a 40-room mansion on the Upper East Side prosecutors valued at $77 million, the Caribbean island of Little St. James, a ranch in New Mexico and homes in Florida and Paris, according to Bloomberg.
Lawyers for the victims of the sex crimes Epstein was accused of are calling to put a freeze on his estate, meaning the legal process could take years. [Bloomberg] – Eddie Small