Prince Andrew Legal Team About to Play The 'Royalty' Card In Virginia Giuffre Lawsuit
Prince Andrew is going to use his status to get the lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre thrown.
Giuffre claimed that she was forced to have sex with the Duke of York when she was 16 years old and sued him for unspecified damages in a New York court.
During that time, Giuffre alleged that she met with Prince Andrew through convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who died while waiting for his sex trafficking trial in 2019.
The royal had also denied all of the allegations thrown to him by Giuffre, saying he has no recollection of the meeting despite a picture of them surfaced the web when the entire scandal was publicized.
As the civil case continues, Prince Andrew's legal team is reportedly preparing to use a settlement the victim signed with Epstein in 2009.
What Did Virginia Giuffre Sign with Jeffrey Epstein?
According to a now-unsealed document, Virginia Giuffre accepted undisclosed damages from the disgraced financier after lodging a criminal complaint and accused him of abuse and sexual exploitation.
In the agreement, which was reportedly signed in Florida, said that Giuffre couldn't bring other cases against Epstein and anyone associated with him, in this case, Prince Andrew.
The document was also shared with the royal's legal team, and the word "royalty" has been referenced.
In September, the Duke of York's US-based lawyer Andrew Brettler said in a pre-trial hearing that he believed the said document released the royal and others from "any and all potential liability."
They are reportedly expected to jump on the "royal" word and argue that it immediately invalidates Giuffre's claim and allegations.
This is because no other member of the royal family has been implicated in the entire Jeffrey Epstein scandal or is believed to have come into contact with the alleged victim.
Prince Andrew To Fight Back
Prince Andrew's legal team will argue that "royalty" can only be applied to him, which would reportedly free him from any future claims.
Giuffre's said in her court filing, "In addition to being continually exploited to satisfy the defendant's every sexual whim, Plaintiff was also required to be sexually exploited by defendant's adult male peers, including royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen and/or other professional and personal acquaintances."
Alan Dershowitz, Epstein's previous lawyer, used the ensuing settlement, which could get an abuse claim against him smacked out.
News of Prince Andrew's legal plans comes after the Metropolitan Police confirmed they would not be taking any further action against Queen Elizabeth II's son and Epstein's former madame, Ghislaine Maxwell.