But lawyers for some women have expressed distrust of the process, saying the plan was presented to a judge without being discussed with the plaintiffs. And at least one woman already intends to bypass any compensation program.

A lawyer for the woman, Jennifer Araoz, who said she was asked to give massages to Mr. Epstein when she was 14 and raped by him a year later, has no intention of discontinuing her lawsuit against the estate.

“Each victim, however, must make an individual decision as to how to best pursue legal remedies for their injuries,” said the lawyer, Daniel Kaiser. “Jennifer has decided that the best legal course of action for her is her court action filed in New York State Court.”

A compensation program could have benefits for the accusers. It would most likely be faster and cheaper than litigating their claims against Mr. Epstein, who committed suicide in August at the Manhattan Correctional Center after his arrest on federal sex-trafficking charges. A compensation program could also minimize the possibility of the estate being hit with large jury awards in individual cases, which could deplete the assets available to compensate other accusers.

Unlike a trial, a compensation program would be confidential, and keep the details of the accusers’ claims out of public view. But it would also limit outside evaluation of the handling of the claims process, and would prevent the release of other information about Mr. Epstein that could be uncovered during litigation.