Prince Andrew (61) puts everything on one card!
At the civil trial in New York, the Queen’s son (95) wants to be acquitted of the allegations of the former Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre (38) by a jury. The signs are currently not pointing to an out-of-court settlement.
The move is seen as high-risk – but the Duke of York appears to see no other option but to flee forward.
The turning point in the sensational lawsuit initiated by Giuffre is documented by court documents that have just been filed with a federal court in Manhattan. In a submission formulated by his lawyer Andrew Brettler, the Briton denies any guilt – and also his alleged proximity to the former Epstein partner Ghislaine Maxwell (60), who has just been convicted.
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Virginia Giuffre (38) accuses the prince of sexual assault. In her civil lawsuit before the New York court, she is demanding millions in damagesPhoto: Baby Matthews / AP
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Andrew, once a close friend of the late sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein († 66), was accused by the American Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who now lives in Australia, in a lawsuit filed in August last year of having coerced her into sex three times in 2001 while she was with 17 years was still a minor. Her accusation: sexual assault and physical harm.
Andrew denies everything, although he sometimes embarrassed himself in his defense, including in a BBC interview that went horribly wrong. After describing a scene in which the prince sweated profusely at a disco, Guiffre claimed he was unable to perspire due to a medical condition.
Earlier this month, Justice Lewis Kaplan, 77, who presides over New York’s Southern District federal court, denied a motion by Andrew’s attorneys to dismiss the lawsuit in a 45-page statement.
Now the Duke is counterattacking with the “response to the lawsuit”: The new court files give eleven reasons why he is innocent. One of the arguments: Plaintiff’s allegations should be dismissed because of their “own wrongdoing and because of the doctrine of mutual consent.” In the eleven-page document, each allegation made by the plaintiff is answered point by point.
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Prince Andrew with underage Virginia Giuffre (centre, then Roberts) and convicted Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell (right) Foto: picture alliance / Supplied by C
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Team Andrew is now also being asked to convene a “jury” to decide the lawsuit in a trial. It is not excluded that Andrew could testify himself.
But is the explosive process that could start in the fall really happening?
New York celebrity lawyer Eddie Hayes (74) remains skeptical: “It looks a lot like aggressive posing – from both sides!”. In the end, there could still be a settlement, he believes in an interview with BILD: “The plaintiff’s lawyers want to drive up the price of a settlement with their hitherto tough attitude, and Andrew, in turn, wants to make it clear that he is willing to fight – and above all that Giuffre would go completely empty-handed with his acquittal and should be satisfied with less money. “The lawyer continues to believe that there should be a deal worth millions: “Andrew cannot testify, he has only embarrassed himself in his defense so far”.
According to the will of the Queen, the accused prince must face the proceedings in New York as a private citizen: he has just lost all military titles and other royal privileges. Due to his financial situation, questions have recently been raised as to whether he could make a million-dollar comparison – sums of up to $13 million were rumored in the US media.
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