World News: Judge refuses to dismiss Virginia Giuffre's sex abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew

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Judge refuses to dismiss Virginia Giuffre's sex abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew

US District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ruled that the Duke of York's motion to dismiss the lawsuit was "denied in all respects," allowing the case to move forward to trial. Giuffre alleged the Duke of York sexually abused her as part of a sex-trafficking scheme run by Jeffrey Epstein. The royal has denied the allegations. Insider reporter Jacob Shamsian shares a recap of the case so far.



 

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The judge in Virginia Giuffre’s suit turned down Prince Andrew’s request to dismiss the case, clearing the way for a trial, probably in the fall.

My colleague Benjamin Weiser writes that Andrew’s lawyers had argued in court papers that he had no liability because Giuffre had agreed to a settlement with Jeffrey Epstein in a separate case in Florida in 2009. But Judge Lewis Kaplan of Federal District Court in Manhattan said that — for now — he was rejecting Andrew’s argument that he had been released from future lawsuits under the Florida settlement. Epstein also paid Giuffre $500,000 as part of that settlement.

Andrew has not been charged with any crimes and has denied Giuffre’s accusations. His name was mentioned from time to time during the recent sex-trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime companion. She was widely seen as a proxy defendant for Epstein, who was found hanged in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting his own trial. His death was ruled a suicide.

Giuffre’s attorney, David Boies, said his client was pleased with Judge Kaplan’s decision. A lawyer for Andrew, the Duke of York, did not respond to a request for comment, and Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

But the reaction in London was immediate. The Evening Standard online called the decision “a huge blow for Prince Andrew,” and The Daily Mail said that Andrew “now faces a hugely expensive and reputation-shredding court case” unless he and Giuffre can agree on a settlement.

The Evening Standard also said that “the institution of the monarchy is likely to be damaged” by a trial, a particular concern as Queen Elizabeth prepares to celebrate her 70 years on the throne. As my colleague Mark Landler noted last week, Andrew has cast a shadow over the royals that could undercut the palace’s efforts to spotlight the queen’s long reign and play up the pageantry.
 

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Prince Andrew will no longer hold military affiliations and royal patronages, Buckingham Palace announces

The Queen agreed to approve the return of Prince Andrew’s military affiliations and royal patronages, according to a statement from Royal Communications on Thursday. The statement added that he will no longer use “His Royal Highness” in any official capacity, his royal roles will be distributed among the family and he will continue his ongoing sexual assault case “as a private citizen.”




 

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The Last Chance to Learn Jeffrey Epstein’s Secrets Closes
By Choire Sicha
Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Photo: Bebeto Matthews/AP/Shutterstock
People following Jeffrey Epstein’s long saga have expressed frustration that his larger network has never been properly interrogated. After Epstein’s death in prison and Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial, which was limited in scope, the last hope to understand the breadth of his influence hinged on a lawsuit filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre against Prince Andrew. That hope may now be dead after she settled her case against the British royal on Tuesday.



Giuffre sued Andrew late last year, accusing him of sexual abuse when she was a teenager. Beginning in 2002, when she was 16, she claims she was trafficked by Epstein and abused at the hands of his friends. “One such powerful man to whom Plaintiff was lent out for sexual purposes was the Defendant, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York,” the suit asserted. Giuffre said Andrew was “a close friend of Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite who spent years overseeing and managing Epstein’s sex-trafficking network.”

In response, Andrew said he didn’t remember ever meeting Giuffre.
On Tuesday, Giuffre’s lawyer, David Boies, informed the judge that the case should be put on ice as the parties had reached a settlement in principle. He said Giuffre would be paid an undisclosed amount of money and receive a large donation to her victims’-rights charity. Andrew, in the agreement, admitted that she was a victim of abuse and public scorn. The agreement continues:
Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others. He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.
The next stage in the case had been a March deadline for reports from both parties on discovery, including witness lists.
Giuffre had previously settled with the Epstein estate in 2009 for $500,000. Two hundred twenty-five claimants applied to the Epstein Victims Compensation Fund, which distributed about $125 million.
“Epstein and Maxwell took a part of my childhood that I’ll never get back,” Giuffre said after Maxwell was convicted. (Motions for a mistrial in the Maxwell conviction are being discussed after two jurors said their history of sexual abuse informed their thinking about the verdict.)
“And thus dies the last chance we had at exposing the *real* people behind Epstein in an open U.S. court,” tweeted Saagar Enjeti, a popular politics YouTuber, in response to the news of the settlement.
 

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The Last Chance to Learn Jeffrey Epstein’s Secrets Closes
By Choire Sicha
Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Photo: Bebeto Matthews/AP/Shutterstock
People following Jeffrey Epstein’s long saga have expressed frustration that his larger network has never been properly interrogated. After Epstein’s death in prison and Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial, which was limited in scope, the last hope to understand the breadth of his influence hinged on a lawsuit filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre against Prince Andrew. That hope may now be dead after she settled her case against the British royal on Tuesday.



Giuffre sued Andrew late last year, accusing him of sexual abuse when she was a teenager. Beginning in 2002, when she was 16, she claims she was trafficked by Epstein and abused at the hands of his friends. “One such powerful man to whom Plaintiff was lent out for sexual purposes was the Defendant, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York,” the suit asserted. Giuffre said Andrew was “a close friend of Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite who spent years overseeing and managing Epstein’s sex-trafficking network.”

In response, Andrew said he didn’t remember ever meeting Giuffre.
On Tuesday, Giuffre’s lawyer, David Boies, informed the judge that the case should be put on ice as the parties had reached a settlement in principle. He said Giuffre would be paid an undisclosed amount of money and receive a large donation to her victims’-rights charity. Andrew, in the agreement, admitted that she was a victim of abuse and public scorn. The agreement continues:

The next stage in the case had been a March deadline for reports from both parties on discovery, including witness lists.
Giuffre had previously settled with the Epstein estate in 2009 for $500,000. Two hundred twenty-five claimants applied to the Epstein Victims Compensation Fund, which distributed about $125 million.
“Epstein and Maxwell took a part of my childhood that I’ll never get back,” Giuffre said after Maxwell was convicted. (Motions for a mistrial in the Maxwell conviction are being discussed after two jurors said their history of sexual abuse informed their thinking about the verdict.)
“And thus dies the last chance we had at exposing the *real* people behind Epstein in an open U.S. court,” tweeted Saagar Enjeti, a popular politics YouTuber, in response to the news of the settlement.


That settlement must be huge considering it most likely includes a nondisclosure agreement prohibiting her mentioning him or the allegations against him moving forward.
 
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