Some of those women have not yet come forward with their accusations against Epstein, who was a wealthy money manager and former friend of Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.
Attorney Gloria Allred, known for her representation of women alleging sexual assault and harassment, told CNBC, “I will be attending the hearing with my clients who are victims.”
Allred had attended a hearing in Epstein’s case last month. She said at that time that she was representing a number of women who accuse Epstein of victimizing them.
Multiple sources told NBC News that “many” alleged victims are planning to be in court Tuesday.
Epstein, 66, died by hanging himself in a lower Manhattan jail cell earlier this month, according to his autopsy report. With their sole defendant dead, the New York feds prosecuting his criminal case moved to drop the charges of sex trafficking minors and sex trafficking conspiracy that had been lodged against Epstein in early July.
But Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, told the judge that his office “remains committed to doing its utmost to stand up for the victims who have already come forward, as well as for the many others who have yet to do so.”
Now, Judge Richard Berman is poised to provide another opportunity for the alleged victims. “The Court believes that where, as here, a defendant has died before any judgment has been entered against him, the public may still have an informational interest in the process by which the prosecutor seeks dismissal of an indictment,” he wrote in a court order last week.
“At the hearing, Counsel for the Government and for the deceased Defendant, Jeffrey Epstein, will be heard,” the judge added, and “counsel for the victims and the victims will also be heard, if they wish to be.”
Epstein had pleaded not guilty to the charges, and faced up to 45 years in prison if convicted. He had already registered as a sex offender, a requirement of the agreement he signed in 2008 in a separate case in Florida, where he faced similar charges.
In that case, Epstein was also sentenced to 13 months in a state jail, where he was allowed out on work release for hours nearly every day. That deal was widely criticized for being too lenient.
“We are very glad that Judge Berman is allowing some of the victims to speak their truth in open court,” Spencer Kuvin, a Florida lawyer involved in Epstein’s prior case, said in a statement.
“At the very least, the Federal Court system is now allowing these victims to publicly speak on the record about the atrocities committed by Mr. Epstein. Our hope is that the DOJ continues its investigation against all of the co-conspirators and that this is merely the beginning, and not the end, of the prosecutions,” Kuvin said.
After Epstein’s death, more women have come forward with lawsuits against Epstein’s estate and his alleged accomplices.
Epstein’s will, signed two days before his suicide, showed that he was worth nearly $580 million, the New York Post reported. His money was transferred to a trust, the Post reported.
Brad Edwards, an attorney for some of Epstein’s accusers, said Tuesday’s hearing will mark “a historic day for crime victims in the United States.”
“Eleven years ago, we filed an action under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA) because the rights of more than thirty victims of Jeffrey Epstein were violated when they were not given the opportunity to be a part of the process. I am proud to say that things have changed, in part because of that case and because of the brave victims who fought for their rights,” Edwards said.
While the Manhattan hearing “does not provide complete closure,” Edwards said, “it solidifies the fact that victims are an integral part of the process.”
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