Desk Report
Published: 27 Jan 2022, 12:24 pm
Britain's Prince Andrew with Queen Elizabeth || Photo" Collected
Britain's Prince Andrew on Wednesday asked for a US jury
trial as he again denied Virginia Giuffre's accusations that he sexually abused
her more than two decades ago when she was 17.
Giuffre, 38, sued the Duke of York last August, alleging he battered her while the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was trafficking her.
In a filing with the US District Court in Manhattan, Andrew,
61, admitted to meeting Epstein in or around 1999, but denied Giuffre's claim
that he "committed sexual assault and battery" upon her.
David Boies, a lawyer for Giuffre, said in a statement that
Andrew was trying to "blame the victim."
"We look forward to confronting Prince Andrew with his
denials and attempts to blame Ms Giuffre for her own abuse," Boies said.
Andrew's ties to Epstein, who killed himself in a Manhattan
jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges, have undermined
his reputation with the public and standing in Britain's Royal Family.
Earlier this month, the family removed Andrew's military
links and military patronages, and said the second son of Queen Elizabeth would
no longer be known as "His Royal Highness."
Andrew's filing was an "answer," a common document
in US litigation in which defendants deny or say they lack enough information
to comment on plaintiffs' substantive accusations.
The prince's lawyers had previously called Giuffre's lawsuit
"baseless" and accused her of seeking another payday.
Giuffre received $500,000 in a 2009 civil settlement with Epstein.
US District Judge Lewis Kaplan has said a trial could begin
between September and December 2022.
If Giuffre won at trial, Andrew could owe her damages. She
has asked for an unspecified amount.
Andrew has not been criminally charged, and no criminal
charges can be brought in Giuffre's civil lawsuit.
Kaplan this month denied Andrew's earlier request to dismiss
Giuffre's lawsuit, which the prince said he was shielded from under the 2009
Epstein settlement.
Andrew renewed that argument in Wednesday's filing, and also
said Giuffre lacks legal standing to sue because she lives in Australia.