Prince Andrew's lawyers seek dismissal of sexual assault case; cite breach of settlement

In a court filing made on Friday, 29 October, Prince Andrew’s attorneys asked to dismiss the US sex assault lawsuit filed against him by Virginia Robert Giuffre, saying that it violates the terms of a settlement agreement with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. According to CNN, attorneys for Andrew reiterated that the Prince “unequivocally” denies Giuffre's “false” allegations against him. They said that Giuffre may be a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of Epstein, however, they added that Prince Andrew “never sexually abused or assaulted Giuffre”. 

In their filing, the attorneys for Andrew accused Giuffre of profiting off her claims of abuse by "selling stories and photographs to the press". They asked for a dismissal of the lawsuit against Queen Elizabeth’s second-oldest son, saying that Giuffre entered into “secret agreements” in which she agreed to a “general release” of claims against the two men and others. They also went on to say that accusing a member of the “world’s best known royal family” of serious misconduct has helped Giuffre create a media frenzy online in the traditional press. 

The filing also reportedly read that Epstein’s abuse of Giuffre does not justify her public campaign against Prince Andrew. It added that Giuffre entered into a settlement with Epstein in 2009 which included a “general release” of all claims against Epstein, his one-time girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell and Andrew as well. It is to mention that the details of the settlement, however, were redacted from the court filing by Andrew’s attorneys. 

Prince Andrew ordered to answer questions under oath 

Prince Andrew is being sued in New York by Giuffre, who alleges that she was forced to perform sex acts with him. She has said that she was trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell and forced to have sex with the sex offender’s friends, including the Duke of York, when she was underage. However, Prince Andrew has consistently denied Giuffre’s allegations. 

Meanwhile, earlier this month, a US judge set a deadline of mid-July of next year for Prince Andrew to answer questions under oath in the civil sex assault case. According to CNN, the scheduling order signed by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan now means that lawyers of Giuffre must question Prince Andrew outside of court and submit the interview by 14 July 2022. Separately, London’s police force has decided to drop its investigation sparked by Giuffre’s case after reviewing a number of court documents. The force reportedly said that the review was concluded and that police is now taking no further action. 

(Image: AP)