(CNN) Multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein, an alleged serial sex abuser of girls, settled a lawsuit Tuesday, dodging the threat for now that several of his accusers would tell their stories in open court.

The case, which had been unfolding in Palm Beach County, Florida, Circuit Court for almost six years, ends a malicious prosecution counterclaim filed by attorney Bradley Edwards, who represented some of Epstein's accusers. Edwards filed the counterclaim after Epstein accused him and a now-disbarred attorney of wrongdoing in a civil lawsuit.

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The settlement came as jury selection was set to begin. Expected to testify were at least seven alleged victims, law enforcement officers, former US attorneys and Epstein's former associates, said Michael Fisten, an investigator on Edwards' team.

The specifics of the settlement are confidential, but court records indicate Epstein issued an apology as part of the settlement. Epstein conceded in the apology that he tried to denigrate Edwards' reputation as a trial lawyer, Edwards said in a statement.

"The truth is that his aggressive investigation and litigation style was highly effective and therefore troublesome for me. The lawsuit I filed was my unreasonable attempt to damage his business reputation and stop Mr. Edwards from pursuing cases against me. It did not work," Epstein said in his apology, according to Edwards' statement.

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