Summary: Bank of America settled a civil lawsuit alleging it facilitated sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein. The settlement was announced during a March 12 court call with U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff. The settlement requires court approval, with a hearing set for April 2 in Manhattan. The lawsuit accused Bank of America of ignoring suspicious transactions linked to Epstein's sex trafficking. Bank of America has settled a civil lawsuit brought by women who accused the bank of facilitating their sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein, court records showed on March 16. Lawyers for the bank and the women told Manhattan-based U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff in a March 12 telephone call that they had reached a "settlement in principle," according to a court filing. The terms of the settlement were not immediately clear. The settlement requires Rakoff's approval. Lawyers for both sides are scheduled to submit legal papers about the settlement by March 27, and the judge scheduled a court hearing for April 2 to consider approving the deal. Sigrid McCawley, a lawyer for the women, said in a statement: "Today’s resolution of the case against Bank of America is one more step on the road to much deserved justice." A spokesman for Bank of America declined to comment. The proposed class action, filed in October by a woman using the pseudonym Jane Doe, accused the nation's second-largest bank of ignoring suspicious financial transactions related to Epstein despite a "plethora" of information about his crimes because it valued profit over protecting victims. Bank of America has said Doe alleged merely that it provided routine services to people who at the time had no known links to Epstein, and that any suggestion that it was more deeply involved was "threadbare and meritless." Rakoff ruled in January that Bank of America must face Doe's claims that it knowingly benefited from Epstein's sex trafficking and obstructed enforcement of the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Among the transactions Doe flagged were payments to Epstein by Apollo Global Management's billionaire co-founder, Leon Black. Black stepped down as Apollo's chief executive in 2021 after a review by an outside law firm found he had paid Epstein $158 million for tax and estate planning. He has denied wrongdoing and said he was unaware of Epstein's criminal conduct. Black had been scheduled on March 26 to be questioned under oath by lawyers for Doe and Bank of America. The deposition is not expected to go forward because of the settlement. A scheduled May 11 trial will also not take place if Rakoff approves the settlement. Doe's lawyers have also sued other alleged enablers of Epstein's sex trafficking, and in 2023 reached settlements of $290 million with JPMorgan Chase and $75 million with Deutsche Bank on behalf of his accusers. Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide by New York City's medical examiner. (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Chizu Nomiyama)

Summary: Mary Kristene Chapa survived a 2012 attack at Violet Andrews Park in Portland where she and Mollie Olgin were assaulted and shot. Chapa filed a civil lawsuit in 2017 against David Strickland, his father, and Taft Pharmacy seeking $10 billion in damages. A jury in San Patricio County awarded Chapa $198 million in damages on March 11, 2026. David Strickland was convicted of capital murder in 2016 and has maintained his innocence through appeals. The survivor of a 2012 attack in a Portland park has been awarded $198 million in a civil lawsuit against her attacker, nearly 15 years after the attack and more than a decade since the murder conviction. Records from the 343rd District Court in San Patricio County show that a jury reached a verdict in Mary Kristene Chapa's civil suit on March 11. Mollie Olgin and Chapa were attacked on June 22, 2012, at Violet Andrews Park in Portland. The couple were bound, sexually assaulted and shot. The two were found by birdwatchers. Olgin, 19, died. Chapa survived but suffered critical injuries. Four years later, a San Patricio County jury convicted David Strickland of capital murder. According to previous Caller-Times reporting, investigators shifted focus to Strickland after a letter from the perspective of a hitman framing a former friend of Strickland’s was addressed to Chapa’s father. A draft of the letter, which included details that hadn’t been shared with the public, was found on Strickland’s laptop. Other evidence included bullet casings found at the crime scene that matched Strickland’s handgun. Throughout the case and for years afterward, Strickland maintained his innocence, arguing that another suspect had committed the crime. Strickland’s appeal was denied in 2020. In 2024, a state appeals court denied reconsidering his request. In September 2025, a federal judge denied Strickland’s request for a review of his incarceration. His lawyers filed an appeal of that decision in October, which is still pending. The original case drew national attention, including a "Dateline" episode on NBC and a documentary. In 2017, Chapa filed a lawsuit against Strickland, Strickland’s father, and the family’s business, Taft Pharmacy. A petition amended in 2021 showed that Chapa sought $10 billion in damages for the physical pain and impairment, mental anguish, medical expenses, loss of companionship, loss of earning capacity and household services, and costs of the lawsuit. “Although she survived, Chapa’s life is forever altered,” a 2018 court document reads. “She has tunnel vision, walks with a limp, is in constant pain, and has undergone extensive physical rehabilitation and medical treatment. She will need treatment and substantial assistance with daily tasks for the balance of her life.” "Kristene Chapa is a hero," Tony Buzbee, one of Chapa's attorneys, said in a March 11 Facebook post announcing the jury's decision. "She’s a fighter. She’s a sexual assault survivor. God bless her." Attorneys for Strickland could not be reached for comment on March 12. This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: “Survivor of 2012 Portland attack wins $198 million in lawsuit” Reporting by Olivia Garrett, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times

Summary: Costco customers filed a class action lawsuit in Illinois federal court on March 11 seeking refunds for higher prices charged due to Trump tariffs. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on February 20 that President Trump overstepped his authority using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs. Costco is among more than 2,000 companies suing to recover duties paid under the invalidated tariffs. Costco CEO Ron Vachris stated that any tariff refunds received would be used to lower prices and improve value for customers. Costco Wholesale has been in a proposed nationwide class action seeking U.S. customer refunds for higher prices charged by the company before the U.S. Supreme Court struck down import tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. The lawsuit, filed by a Costco shopper in federal court in Illinois on March 11, seeks a declaration that the company must return to customers any refunds it receives for tariffs it paid under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA. The Supreme Court ruled on Feb. 20 that Trump overstepped his authority by using the emergency powers law to impose sweeping tariffs last year. The order has teed up sprawling litigation in the U.S. Court of International Trade, where Costco is among more than 2,000 companies suing the administration to recover duties they paid. Global shipper FedEx is facing a similar consumer class action filed in Florida federal court last month. Costco did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A lawyer for plaintiff Matthew Stockov also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “This lawsuit seeks to prevent Costco, the third-largest retailer in the world, from double recovery,” the complaint said. “Costco has made no commitment to return any portion of anticipated tariff refunds to the consumers who bore those costs.” Costco CEO Ron Vachris told analysts that it was still unclear if or when businesses will get back the IEEPA tariffs they previously paid. If Costco does receive refunds, he said, the retailer plans to channel them into lower prices and improved value for shoppers. The March 11 lawsuit said the company was promising only "a possible future benefit to an indeterminate group of future shoppers." (Reporting by Mike Scarcella; Editing by David Bario and Aurora Ellis)