Prince Andrew settles sexual abuse lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre
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Prince Andrew settled a sexual abuse lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Prince Andrew, the disgraced second son of Queen Elizabeth II, has settled a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, a woman who had accused him of raping her when she was a teenage victim of Andrew’s friend, the notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a new court filing in Manhattan on Tuesday.
The Duke of York has reached an out-of-court financial settlement with his accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
The deal brings an end to the legal process and means he will not face a jury trial in the civil case on sexual abuse claims.
The terms of the deal will remain secret, but in a joint statement the Duke expressed regret about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and confirmed that he will make a “substantial donation” to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.
Ms Giuffre alleged that she was sexually abused or raped by Prince Andrew on three separate occasions in 2001 when she was 17. She had sued him for unspecified damages.
In a joint statement, the two sides said: “Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew have reached an out of court settlement.”
It said they would file a request to dismiss the case when the undisclosed sum had been received.
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“Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks,” it said.
“It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years. 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.”
In a joint court filing, the parties told the New York judge overseeing the case that they anticipated that it would be brought to a close within 30 days and asked that all action be suspended in the meantime.
The Duke had been due to give a deposition under oath on March 10.
