The estate of convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has agreed to pay up to US$35 million to settle the outstanding legal claims of potentially dozens of victims, according to a court filing.

The agreement must be approved by a federal judge in New York before it can become final.

The settlement is related to victims who said they were "sexually assaulted or abused or trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein between January 1, 1995, and through August 10, 2019," the date of the disgraced financier's death in prison, the proposed plan said.

Epstein's estate would pay US$35 million if there are 40 or more people eligible in the class and US$25 million if there are fewer than 40.

The co-executors of the settlement are Darren Indyke, Epstein's former lawyer, and Richard Kahn, the financier's former accountant.

Both have denied any wrongdoing through their association with the convicted sex offender and have not been accused of any sexual abuse crimes or witnessing of sexual abuse.

But the settlement, if confirmed, will bring to a close the initial lawsuit filed in 2024 in which the pair of advisers were accused of enabling Epstein's illicit activities through their legal and business services.

The judgment filed in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday said the agreement does not mean the co-executors admit fault or are liable to further legal action from victims.

The settlement comes after the release by the US Justice Department of millions of documents, photographs and videos related to the investigation into Epstein.

Epstein cultivated a global network of powerful politicians, business executives, academics and celebrities – many of whom have been tainted by their association with him.

The latest, the former prince Andrew, hunkered down on Friday at home on the king's private estate after hours of police questioning, as his stunning arrest tipped the British monarchy into an unprecedented crisis in its modern era.

The disgraced royal was "released under investigation" late on Thursday, with police believed to be continuing Friday searches of his former home on the royals' Windsor estate, west of London.

Andrew spent around 11 hours in custody after police arrested him on suspicion of misconduct.

Officers swooped early on Thursday on his home in Sandringham, eastern England, taking him into custody at a nearby police station while also raiding his former Windsor home. (AFP)



Edited by Priscilla Ng