Epstein Estate Motion for Attorneys' Fees After Asset-Freeze Appeal

MOTION FOR AWARD OF ATTORNEYS' FEES Matter of the Estate of Jeffrey E. Epstein, Deceased Case No. ST-2021-RV-00005 Filed: March 4, 2022 After prevailing on the government's probate appeal, the Epstein estate co-executors moved for an award of attorneys' fees. The motion sought $112,216.90 for work opposing the government's motion to intervene, the emergency motion to freeze all assets and cash on hand, and the appeal or petition for review that the court decided on February 4, 2022. The filing explains that the co-executors viewed the government's applications as broad and consequential for estate administration. They argued that defending against those applications required legal strategy, research into probate and civil-procedure issues, briefing, preparation for hearings, and appellate response work. Supporting affidavits and time records were filed with the motion. This record belongs in the property-records category because legal fees in probate affect estate administration and asset preservation. The fee dispute arose directly from litigation over control of estate assets, including whether the Virgin Islands government could intervene and whether all estate assets and available cash should be frozen. The motion also provides a window into how costly post-death estate litigation became. The estate was not merely inventorying or distributing property; it was simultaneously managing survivor claims, government enforcement litigation, asset-control disputes, and court-supervised probate obligations. The fee request shows how procedural fights over control of assets created their own claims against estate or opposing-party resources. As with the other probate filings, this document should be read procedurally. It does not decide the underlying civil enforcement allegations, but it records the estate's attempt to recover litigation costs after defeating the government's intervention and freeze efforts. Source: DOJ Epstein Library / V.I. Superior Court Available at: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Matter%20of%20the%20Estate%20of%20Jeffrey%20E.%20Epstein%2C%20Deceased%2C%20No.%20ST-21-RV-00005%20%28V.I.%20Super.%20Ct.%202021%29/EFTA02821599.pdf