The British Prince Andrew agreed on a financial settlement with the American Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual assault in 2001 and wanted to try him in New York. They announced it today according to the website The Guardian in the court document, the plaintiffs’ plaintiffs.
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Lawyers of the 61-year-old second-born son of British Queen Elizabeth II. in January, they asked a U.S. court to have a jury decide in a civil dispute. An announcement of an out-of-court settlement came today.
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In a court announcement, both Giuffre and Andrew’s lawyers said the agreement included an unspecified amount that Andrew wanted to donate to Giuffre’s charity to support victims of sexual violence.
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“Prince Andrew has never wanted to tarnish Mrs Giuffre’s personality and admits that she has suffered as a recognized victim of abuse because of unjust public attacks,” the court document said. Lawyer David Boies, who represents Giuffre, said the Andrew was trying to blame the victim.
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The case is part of a sex scandal surrounding Epstein, which Andrew befriended like other celebrities, including US ex-presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.
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Epstein, who was suspected of sexually exploiting dozens of young girls, committed suicide in 2019 in a New York prison, awaiting trial. In December, the British Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty, who, according to the plaintiffs, took part in Epstein’s activities.
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“Jeffrey Epstein is known to have offered countless young girls for sex for many years. Prince Andrew regrets his relationship with Epstein and praises the bravery of Mrs. Giuffre and the other victims who stood up for their rights and that of others, “the statement said. “He promises (Andrew) that he will show his regret for joining Epstein by supporting the fight against the evil of the white meat trade and the support of its victims,” the agency quoted the text as saying. AP.
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Giuffre according to the web NPR she reported that Andrew had sexually abused her in London, New York and Epstein’s private island. The lawsuit included the now-famous photograph of Andrew holding his arm around Giuffre’s waist – she said it was taken shortly before he abused her. Giuffre said at the time that Andrew was sweating a lot.
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Prince Andrew later claimed in an interview with the British BBC that the photograph was falsified and that he had never met Giuffre. He argued that he had a rare health problem at the time – he couldn’t sweat. But the allegations seemed unbelievable, perhaps because Andrew was very sweaty during the interview.
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“From the investigation we conducted, it is not possible to prove whether the photograph is or is not forged, because it is a photograph of another photograph… No one can prove whether or not the photograph was forged, but I do not remember that the photograph was ever taken, Andrew said.
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Last month, the Duke of York denied that he was Epstein’s accomplice and insisted on a lawsuit over Giuffre’s lawsuit against him for sexual abuse. “Prince Andrew hereby requests that the trial be conducted before a jury,” his lawyers wrote in court documents. Andrew also denied that Epstein “traded with girls.”
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Lawyer Lisa Bloom, who represents Epstein’s eight victims, welcomed the financial deal, calling it a “victory.” “We welcome Virginia’s victory today. She accomplished what no one else could do: get Prince Andrew to stop his nonsense and side with the victims of sexual abuse. We pay tribute to her overwhelming courage, “she wrote on Twitter.
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My statement on behalf of the 8 Jeffrey Epstein victims I represent:
We hail Virginia’s victory today. She has accomplished what no one else could: getting Prince Andrew to stop his nonsense and side with sexual abuse victims. We salute Virginia’s stunning courage. https://t.co/NqVohxgPzS
— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) February 15, 2022
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Epstein made a deal with Giuffre in 2009, the website wrote BBC. The financier paid her $ 500,000 (almost 11 million crowns) for dropping a similar lawsuit against him. Prince Andrew then unsuccessfully claimed that Giuffre had lost the right to sue him for this settlement.
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Andrew’s ties to Epstein undermined his public reputation and standing in the British royal family. Andrew had to return military titles and royal patronage to Queen Elizabeth II due to the case. The prince can no longer use the title “His Royal Highness” and his roles are to fall to other members of the royal family.
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In an open letter, 150 war veterans called for Prince Andrew’s withdrawal of military titles today, according to which the prince’s scandals cast a bad light on the armed forces. The Duke of York had, among other things, the rank of Vice Admiral of the Royal Navy or Colonel of the Grenadier Guard, which, according to the BBC, is one of the highest-ranking infantry regiments in the British Army.
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