U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein appears in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry March 28, 2017 and obtained by Reuters July 10, 2019.

The executors of the estate of late accused child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday asked a judge in the U.S. Virgin Islands for approval to set up a voluntary compensation program for victims of the wealthy financier.

The fund, to be run by an independent claims expert, could reduce the number of pending and anticipated victim lawsuits against Epstein's estate by giving women money they would otherwise seek through litigation.

The co-executors of Epstein's estate, Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, on Thursday filed documents in probate court in the Virgin Islands asking for expedited approval of the voluntary claims resolution program. Epstein had a residence on a private island he owned there.

The court filing said that to the knowledge of the co-executors, this is the first time that a probate court has been asked to set up a mass claim program to resolve "sexual abuse claims filed by multiple claimants against a decedent's estate."

"As a matter of public policy alone, the urgency of this matter cannot be overstated," the filing said.

The request to establish the fund comes three months after the 66-year-old Epstein — a former friend of President Donald Trump and Bill Clinton — died from what authorities have ruled suicide by hanging while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in a Manhattan jail.

"The Co-Executors seek to provide claimants the opportunity to obtain appropriate compensation and to be heard and treated with compassion, dignity and respect," according to a press release issued by Indyke and Kahn.

The proposed program would be led by attorney Jordana Feldman, who has served as deputy special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

The program would be designed by Feldman and Kenneth Feinberg — who oversaw the U.S. government's compensation fund for victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, along with other high-profile compensation programs — and Feinberg's associate Camille Biros, who has worked with him on compensation programs for sex abuse victims of Roman Catholic priests.

Feldman would "have complete autonomy and decision-making authority over program operations and claim determinations," according to the press release.

"And the Estate will have no authority to modify or reject Ms. Feldman's decisions on any basis or as to any claim," the release said.

The program would begin accepting claims around three months after being approved by the court.

That program would "allow eligible individuals the opportunity to resolve their sexual abuse claims against Mr. Epstein and his Estate through a confidential, non-adversarial alternative to litigation," the release said.

Epstein's estate is valued at more than $570 million.

So far, 12 lawsuits involving sex abuse claims against Epstein have been filed in federal and state courts in New York, and one has been filed in the Virgin Islands.

And "the co-executors anticipate that more Sexual Abuse Claims may be filed in various jurisdictions including New York, Florida, New Mexico and France," the court filing Thursday said.