Prince Andrew's lawyers file to dismiss US sex abuse lawsuit
October 30, 2021
Attorneys for the UK's Prince Andrew asked a New York judge Friday to toss a sex abuse civil lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre who received an undisclosed sum in a settlement with Jeffrey Epstein in 2009.
Prince Andrew, 61, denies he ever sexually abused Giuffre. He has not been charged with any crime.
His lawyer Andrew Brettler called the lawsuit "baseless" and said it is an effort to "achieve another payday" from acquaintances of the late Jeffrey Epstein, a prolific rapist of young and underaged girls who took his life in prison in August 2019 following his arrest.
"Accusing a member of the world's best known royal family of serious misconduct has helped Giuffre create a media frenzy online and in the traditional press," Brettler wrote in his filing on Prince Andrew's behalf.
Prince Andrew's lawyers say Giuffre seeks financial rewards
The second son of Queen Elizabeth said he was released from any liability under a 2009 settlement between Epstein and Giuffre.
Prince Andrew's attorneys say that settlement covers "royalty" and others due to Epstein's insistence that the settlement cover "any and all persons" who Giuffre might attempt to hold liable for her abuse.
Prince Andrew's lawyers stated in their filing Friday that Giuffre had "purportedly received millions of dollars" from a 2015 defamation lawsuit against Ghislanie Maxwell, who will go on trial next month for sex trafficking young women for Jeffrey Epstein.
David Boies, a lawyer for Giuffre, said in a statement that Prince Andrew's efforts to see the court toss his client's lawsuit "fails to confront the serious allegations."
He said the prince's legal efforts "shows how desperate he is to dodge and duck the facts of what he did."
Epstein-related litigation continues well after his death
Virginia Giuffre, 38, sued Prince Andrew in August. She accuses him of forcing her to have sex at Epstein's mansion in Manhattan and on one of Epstein's private islands in the US Virgin Islands as well as at Maxwell's London home.
On Thursday, Giuffre was sued for $20 million by artist Rina Oh Amen for defamation for claiming she brought women to Epstein. The artist says she was also abused by Epstein.
Ghislaine Maxwell, 59, pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking for allegedly helping recruit and groom underage girls for Epstein between 1994 and 2004. Her trial begins on November 29 in Manhattan.
ar/aw (AP, Reuters)