NEW YORK, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Bank of America ( BAC ) and

Bank of New York Mellon ( BK ) asked a federal judge on Thursday

to dismiss lawsuits accusing them of knowingly aiding Jeffrey

Epstein's sex trafficking by providing banking services to the

disgraced late financier.

The proposed class actions filed on October 15 by one of

Epstein's victims, a Florida woman known as Jane Doe, said the

banks knowingly ignored a "plethora" of information about

Epstein's crimes because they valued profit over protecting

victims.

Both lawsuits said the banks should have filed suspicious

activity reports with the U.S. Treasury Department, which could

have helped law enforcement stop Epstein sooner.

But in a filing in Manhattan federal court, Bank of America ( BAC )

said Doe alleged merely that it provided routine services to

people who at the time had no known links to Epstein, and any

suggestion it was more deeply involved was "threadbare and

meritless."

BNY Mellon, meanwhile, in a separate filing called Doe's

allegations "razor-thin," and included no claims that Epstein

was ever a customer or dealt with anyone in particular.

The banks also said it was not reasonably foreseeable their

activities would cause harm to Doe, dooming her negligence

claims.

Doe's lawyers, including David Boies, did not immediately

respond to requests for comment after market hours.

The lawyers have also sued other alleged enablers of

Epstein's sex trafficking, and in 2023 reached settlements of

$290 million with JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ) and $75 million with

Deutsche Bank on behalf of his accusers.

Neither bank admitted wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.

Both settlements were approved by U.S. District Judge Jed

Rakoff, who oversees the Bank of America ( BAC ) and BNY Mellon cases.

Epstein committed suicide in August 2019 in a Manhattan jail

cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

His case remains headline material, including this week when

House Democrats released emails they said raised new questions

about how much U.S. President Donald Trump knew about Epstein's

sex trafficking of girls and young women.

Trump has vehemently and consistently denied knowing about

Epstein's sex trafficking.