JPMorgan Chase & Co. subpoenaed documents from the Manhattan district attorney’s office about a possible complaint of sexual assault made against former executive Jes Staley, according to a court filing.
A federal judge on Friday ordered the district attorney’s office to turn over records to JPMorgan as part of a lawsuit by a Jeffrey Epstein victim identified only as Jane Doe that accuses the bank of knowingly benefiting from its ties to the disgraced financier. JPMorgan has sued Staley to cover its liability in the case.
In his order, US District Judge Jed Rakoff said JPMorgan’s March 7 subpoena sought records of statements Doe made to Assistant District Attorney Vanessa Puzio, deputy head of the office’s sex crimes unit, on August 10, 2022. The subpoena also asked for any records identifying Staley as an “alleged witness or alleged perpetrator” of sexual assault.
It’s not clear if there is an active investigation of Staley. The Manhattan district attorney’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Staley’s lawyer, Brendan Sullivan, also didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
In its third-party complaint against Staley, JPMorgan said it believed Staley had committed a sexual assault Doe described in her suit against the bank but only attributed to a “powerful financial executive.” Doe later confirmed she was referring to Staley but accused JPMorgan of raising the issue in order to engage in intrusive discovery.
Staley has denied the assault allegation.
Doe’s lawsuit against JPMorgan doesn’t name Staley as a defendant but accuses him of knowing about Epstein’s sex crimes. She argues that Staley’s knowledge should be imputed to the bank, where he was formerly head of private banking.
Rakoff’s order comes the same day that JPMorgan Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon is sitting for a deposition in Doe’s suit and another one filed by the US Virgin Islands.
--With assistance from Patricia Hurtado.
Author: Ava Benny-Morrison
