US Judge sets deadline for Prince Andrew to answer questions in sexual assault case

Prince Andrew must respond to the questions under oath by Virginia Giuffre's lawyers by mid-July in 2022. The US Judge has ruled that Prince Andrew must answer the questions under oath by Virginia Giuffre's lawyers in her civil sexual assault case by mid-July next year, reported Sky News. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan has ordered that the depositions must be completed before July 14, 2022. 

Prince Andrew would be required to respond to questions on oath in a private hearing. The lawyers representing Virginia Giuffre would ask the questions to Prince Andrew, on the other hand, Andrew would be entitled to legal representation. Under "Mutual Legal Assistance" (MLA), both prosecutors and the lawyers representing Giuffre can formally request Prince Andrew to give a deposition in the United Kingdom, reported Sky News.

The deadline could see Prince Andrew’s court case clash with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which will take place in June. As per the Sky News report, MLA is a method of cooperation between countries or states for obtaining assistance in legal proceedings and the assistance is usually requested by courts or prosecutors. As per the Sky News report, Andrew has denied allegations of sexually assaulting Giuffre when she was a teenager.

Prince Andrew had received court papers in September in connection with a sexual assault lawsuit, US officials had confirmed. In September, Virginia Giuffre's lawyers said that the duke had officially been served with the papers, but his legal team had denied it, reported The Guardian. However, on September 21, it was confirmed that the papers were served to British Royal, as per The Guardian report. 

Allegations against Prince Andrew 

Virginia Giuffre has alleged that she was sexually assaulted when she was 17 and is seeking unspecified damages from Prince Andrew. Giuffre has alleged that Prince Andrew abused her on multiple occasions when she was under the age of 18, according to AP. As per the case, Prince Andrew allegedly abused Giuffre at the London home of Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and Epstein's homes in New York and the US Virgin Islands, according to AP. She has alleged that Prince Andrew engaged in sexual acts without her consent. However, Prince Andrew, who is UK’s Queen Elizabeth II’s second son, has denied the claims against him.

(Inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)