Former JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM) executive and friend of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein Jes Staley has called on a US judge to throw out a lawsuit against him filed by his former employer.
On a late-Monday filing, Staley accused JPMorgan of attempting to shift blame for the bank’s own failures in working with the late sex offender.
The court document said the bank had no viable claims against him regarding JPMorgan’s relationship with the infamous financier and socialite, which began in 1998 and ended in 2013.
Staley, who resigned as Barclays PLC (LSE:BARC)’s chief executive in November 2021, denied allegations that he provided services at JPMorgan that were integral to Epstein's sex-trafficking operation or that he had witnessed any suspicious activity in Epstein's accounts.
JPMorgan wants Staley to forfeit eight years of compensation and cover its losses in two lawsuits related to its association with Epstein.
The lawsuits, which seek monetary damages, were filed by women who accused Epstein of sexual abuse and the US Virgin Islands, where he owned a private island.
JPMorgan has been accused of transferring funds to pay Epstein's victims, disregarding warnings from compliance and other employees to sever ties with him, and continuing to work with him even after dropping him as a client.
The lawsuits against JPMorgan, and the bank's lawsuit against Staley, are set for an October 23 trial before US District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan.