What are the allegations in Virginia Giuffres’ lawsuit against Prince Andrew?

[ad_1]

A woman who claims to have been sexually trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein files a civil action, accusing Prince Andrew of sexual assault.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, 38, filed a lawsuit against the Duke of York in New York’s Southern District court in August under the Child Victims Act.

The lawsuit alleges Prince Andrew sexually abused Ms Giuffre as a teenager on multiple occasions in London, Manhattan and the US Virgin Islands in 2001 – allegations he denies.

Prince Andrews’ legal team requested the dismissal, arguing that a 2009 settlement between Ms Giuffre and Epstein would end the civil sex lawsuit against the royal.

The legal document was unsealed and made public ahead of a Jan. 4 hearing, in which New York District Judge Lewis Kaplan heard arguments from both sides on the termination issue.

In a 44-page opinion on Jan. 12, Judge Kaplan dismissed the revocation request, paving the way for Ms Giuffres’ lawyers to enter a prolonged phase of discovery and deposition that could attract other members of the royal family. .

Who is Virginie Giuffre?

Virginia Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, first met the now convicted Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000 at the age of 17, while working as a spa assistant at Donald Trumps Mar-a- Lago Club, where Ms. Giuffres’ father also worked as a maintenance manager.

Maxwell approached her and asked her if she was interested in becoming a masseuse for Epstein. However, according to Ms Giuffres’ claims, Epstein and Maxwell began to groom her.

Ms Giuffre was reportedly trafficked to Prince Andrew, then 41, in 2001. The Duke is accused of having had sex with Ms Giuffre (then known by her maiden name, Virginia Roberts) at three times; a trip to London in 2001 when she was 17 for which she was paid $ 15,000, and later to New York and Little Saint James, a small private island in the US Virgin Islands.

Despite the flight logs and photos revealing Ms Giuffre and Prince Andrew spent time together, the Duke has denied meeting or having sex with her. Most famous in a 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, he said he was on a Pizza Express in Woking and had not had sex in London according to the allegations against him.

What are the allegations against Prince Andrew?

Ms Giuffres’ lawsuit against the Duke claims he had sex with her without her consent despite knowing how old she was and that she had been sexually trafficked. The prince, a longtime friend of Epsteins, has vehemently denied the allegations and will seek to dismiss the lawsuit in a hearing on January 4, 2022.

In her trial, Ms Giuffre said she continued to suffer from significant emotional and psychological distress decades after the alleged assaults.

She is seeking unspecified damages, but there is speculation the sum could run into the millions of dollars.

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 is high time for him to be held to account, says the lawsuit.

Prince Andrew opened up about the allegations in a 2019 television interview with Emily Maitlis.

This does not happen. I can absolutely tell you that it never happened. I have no recollection of ever having met this lady, none at all, he said.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre claims she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew

(PA)

Dukes’ legal team had previously tried to have the case dropped on the grounds that she lived in Australia, not the United States, as the lawsuit suggests.

However, the dismissal attempt suffered a setback when U.S. District Judge Lewis A Kaplan dismissed Prince Andrews ‘lawyers’ request to have the lawsuit dismissed on jurisdictional grounds.

The 2009 settlement agreement between Ms Giuffre and Epstein was made public on January 3, revealing that Ms Giuffre had been awarded $ 500,000 (370,000) to settle all claims against Epstein and his associates.

The settlement provided for a discharge for any other person or entity that might have been included as a potential defendant against Ms. Giuffres’ claims.

Dukes’ lawyers argued that he was included as a potential defendant in their attempt to dismiss the lawsuit. Judge Kaplan, however, disagreed and ruled the case could move forward on January 12.

[ad_2]