from www.palmbeachpost.com – A $2 million dispute between billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and attorneys who represented 15 women who claimed they were sexually abused by the Palm Beacher is apparently over.

In court papers filed late Monday, attorneys representing Miami law firm Podhurst Orseck said it has reached a settlement with Epstein. Terms of the agreement weren’t spelled out and attorneys involved weren’t immediately available for comment.

Podhurst Orseck filed suit against Epstein last month, claiming his refusal to pay its legal bill constituted a violation of an agreement the money manager signed to escape federal charges. As part of the 2007 plea deal, Epstein agreed to pay attorneys to negotiate settlements on behalf of the 33 women who told federal prosecutors he had paid them for sexually charged massages at his Palm Beach mansion when some were as young as 14.

Twelve of the women sought the help of Podhurst partner Robert Josefsberg, who was appointed to negotiate settlements. He also represented three women in civil lawsuits that were also settled for undisclosed amounts. About a dozen other women hired other attorneys to represent them. Most of those lawsuits are still pending.

Epstein, 57, argued that Podhurst inflated its costs. He said he had already paid the firm roughly $500,000 and didn’t believe he owed another $2 million. He offered to put $2 million in a court registry until the dispute was resolved.

He pleaded guilty to two sex-related charges and was released from the Palm Beach County jail in July after serving 13 months of an 18-month jail sentence. In return, federal prosecutors agreed not to pursue him for crimes that could have sent him to prison for decades.