Woman sues Epstein associates

Action first of many expected to be filed under new state law

NEW YORK — The fight over

Jeffrey Epstein’s estate began taking shape Wednesday, with a woman filing a lawsuit claiming he raped her when she was a teenager in 2002.

Jennifer Araoz sued Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell and three unnamed members of his staff — the first of many lawsuits expected to be filed by Epstein’s accusers as a new state law went into effect Wednesday that opens up a one-year window for victims of long-ago sex crimes against children to take legal action.

The lawsuit accuses Maxwell of helping Epstein recruit teenage girls and providing “organizational support to Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.”

Maxwell’s publicist and lawyers did not respond to emails seeking comment. Maxwell, the socialite daughter of the late British publishing baron Robert Maxwell, previously denied wrongdoing, saying any allegations she was involved in arranging sex for Epstein were “abhorrent and entirely untrue.”

Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating whether any Epstein associates will face charges.

Epstein, 66, is believed to have killed himself early Saturday while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The cause of the death has not been announced, but a person familiar with operations at the lockup said Epstein was discovered in his cell with a bedsheet around his neck.

Jail guards who were on duty Saturday are suspected of falsifying log entries to show they were checking on inmates every half-hour as required, according to a person familiar with the investigation into the financier’s death.

Federal investigators are looking into whether guards were sleeping on the job.

For all the talk from politicians and conspiracy theorists that Epstein should have remained under roundthe-clock scrutiny by someone making notes every 15 minutes, prison experts say suicide watch is intended for only short periods because it puts too much stress on the staff and inmate alike.

“It’s just not humane to keep them on those restrictions indefinitely,” said Lindsay Hayes, a nationally recognized expert on inmate suicide prevention and a project director for the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives. “Many times, suicidal inmates will deny they’re suicidal so they can get their clothes and privileges back.”