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The crisis surrounding Prince Andrew may get worse as a second sexual assault case could be brought against him.
Joanna Sjoberg, Jeffrey Epstein’s ex-actress, claims the Duke of York, 61, touched her chest when she was 21.
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Joanna Sjoberg can file a civil case against Prince Andrew Credit: Splash News
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Prince Andrew has vehemently denied the allegations in the pastCredit: Associated Press
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The lawsuit, filed Monday night in New York, accuses Prince Andrew, 61, of ‘first-degree rape’ over allegations of sexual assault on Virginia JoffreyCredit: Rex Features
Previously she was not able to sue because of the time that has elapsed.
But a potential change in US law could mean Ms Sjoberg may now be able to hear her allegations in court.
In June, the New York State Senate passed the Adult Survivors Act, which concerns sex crime survivors who were 18 or older when they were abused.
If the law is signed, it will ensure that those who have remained silent can use the civil courts to seek justice.
Victims whose cases were previously too old to be prosecuted will have a year from the time the law went into effect to bring any legal action.
Unsealed documents at the time revealed that Andrew touched Joanna, then 21, when she posed for a photo.
In her testimony in 2016, she said Andrew and Virginia Joffrey – then Roberts – were sitting on the sofa with the Spitting Image doll on her lap.
“And then I sat on Andrew’s lap – I think of my own free will – and they took the doll’s hand and put it on Virginia’s chest, and so Andrew put it on my chest,” she added.
Wants “Justice Serves”
A source now told The Mirror: “Jojo has never been driven by money, but she wants to see justice done,” they said.
“Her lawyers are closely scrutinizing the law to see what remedy might be available to her.”
The Sun has contacted the Duke’s representative for comment, but the Prince has vehemently denied this claim in the past.
This news comes after a lawsuit accusing him of “rape in the first degree”.
Last night, the attorney for accused Virginia Joffrey warned that a criminal investigation could be opened into the King’s alleged mistreatment of the 17-year-old.
David Boyce, who spoke exclusively to The Sun, said prosecutors have begun investigating Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell following civil lawsuits against them.
Virginia Joffrey Law
Ms Joffrey’s lawsuit says she was “forced to have sexual intercourse with Prince Andrew against her will” and lists crimes including “first-degree rape”.
The lawsuit was filed in New York on Monday night. This is the first time the Duke has been named as a defendant in a civil case involving pedophile billionaire Epstein.
Ms Joffrey wants compensation for “intentional battery and intentional emotional distress”, caused by his alleged sexual assaults on her when she was underage.
A civil summons to serve with papers at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park was approved by a court clerk last night. He has 21 days to respond or face a “virtual judgment”.
Prince Andrew by car with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, arrived in Balmoral in the Scottish Highlands in time for dinner with the Queen, 95, on Tuesday evening.
However, Boyce, 80, cautioned that he could not “act as if he was above the law”.
“This is a matter for the courts to decide now and it would be very unwise for anyone to kind of blow their noses up in federal court,” Boyce told Channel 4 news.
“completely quarantined”
He claimed Andrew’s lawyers did not cooperate: “They refused it completely. They refused to give any explanation, they refused to enter into any discussions.
“They refuse to provide any facts, they even refuse to respond to any of the allegations made in any reasonable manner. They simply ignored every message, every phone call, every communication we had.”
In her lawsuit, lawyers for the mother-of-three said she “lent” Epstein and his alleged wife, Ghislaine Maxwell, to “strong men for sexual purposes.”
She says: “Twenty years ago, Prince Andrew’s wealth, power, position and connections enabled him to abuse a frightened and vulnerable child with no one to protect her.
It has been a long time since he was held accountable. Prince Andrew’s actions… constitute extreme and outrageous behavior that shocks the conscience. Prince Andrew’s sexual abuse of a child he knew was a victim of sex trafficking, and when he was about 40 years old, he crossed all possible limits of decency.”
Jeffrey claims she was handed over to the Duke for sex on three occasions – which he categorically denies.
Her lawsuit states that “Prince Andrew sexually assaulted the plaintiff at Epstein Palace, New York, in this area.”
“During this encounter, Maxwell forced the plaintiff, a child and another victim to sit on Prince Andrew’s lap while Prince Andrew touched them.”
“Responsible”
“I hold Prince Andrew to account for what he has done to me,” said Mrs. Joffrey.
Ms Geoffrey said she feared for her life if she refused to have sex with Andrew “against her will”.
Her legal papers state: “The plaintiff was forced by explicit or implicit threats from Epstein, Maxwell and/or Prince Andrew to engage in sexual acts with Andrew, and she feared death or injury to herself or others due to disobedience.”
Damage amounts under the New York Child Victims Act of 2019 could run into the millions.
Prince Andrew has vehemently denied all of Joffrey’s allegations in the past.
A spokeswoman for the prince declined to comment on the allegations when contacted by The Sun newspaper yesterday.
Epstein committed suicide on August 10, 2019 – exactly two years ago – while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
Meanwhile, Maxwell, who was arrested last July, is due to go on trial in November on charges of recruiting girls for Epstein.
She was acquitted of all charges.
Friends last night was “willing to testify on behalf of the Duke” if she is acquitted.
They told The Telegraph: “By the time the case against the Duke reaches court, Ghislaine will be found guilty and serve up to 85 years in prison. [or if] Cleared of course they will help Prince Andrew. They’ve been friends for a very long time.”
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Virginia Joffrey claims she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions Credit: BBC Submitted by Pixel8000 07917221968 The accused Prince Andrew claims he played a ‘guessing game’ about her age when she was 17 and compared her to his daughters
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