Giuffre claims that the British royal repeatedly assaulted her when she was only 17 years old.
Virginia Giuffre, among Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent accusers, has filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew, alleging that the British royal raped and sexually abused her when she was still a minor.
According to The New York Times, Giuffre repeatedly claimed in court filings against Epstein that the late billionaire had “offered” her to Prince Andrew when she was 17 years old.
Now, Giuffre has filed suit against the royal in a Manhattan federal court. In her complaint, Giuffre restated her previous accusations, saying Prince Andrew’s assaults caused her severe and lasting damage.
However, Prince Andrew has denied the allegations, saying he has “no recollection” of ever meeting Giuffre—despite photographs showing Andrew with his arm around Giuffre’s waist in the London home of Epstein associate and alleged human trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
The New York Times notes that Andrew gave “what was widely considered a disastrous interview about his relationship with Mr. Epstein” in 2019. Shortly afterward, the prince announced that he intended to permanently withdraw from public life.
David Boies, an attorney representing Giuffre, said the lawsuit will rely on normal methods to reach Andrew overseas. If paper-servers are unable to locate the prince through normal means, the court will likely order that copies of the lawsuit be sent to one of Andrew’s representatives.
However, Boies says he does not expect Prince Andrew to sit silently.
“I don’t think he’s going to try to stonewall the court,” Boies said.
“It’s one thing to ignore me. It’s another thing to ignore the judicial process of the state of New York and the United States,” Boies said. “If Prince Andrew does not take seriously the rule of law in this country, he is being very ill-advised. This is a serious lawsuit, and the court will take it seriously. We take it seriously. If he doesn’t take it seriously, it is at his peril.”
Boies told the Times that Giuffre has decided to file suit against Prince Andrew because a New York state law extending the window for filing childhood sex abuse lawsuits past the statute of limitations is set to expire in the next several days.
“If she doesn’t do it now, she would be allowing him to escape any accountability for his actions,” he said.
“We didn’t want to wait for the last minute,” Boies said.
Giuffre’s lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
“Twenty years ago, Prince Andrew’s wealth, power, position, and connections enabled him to abuse a frightened, vulnerable child with no one there to protect her,” the lawsuit alleges. “It is long past the time for him to be held to account.”
In a statement issued to ABC News, Giuffre explained her reasoning and elaborated somewhat on her claims against Andrew.
“I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. The powerful and the rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but one can reclaim her life by speaking out and demanding justice,” Giuffre told ABC News through her attorneys.
“I did not come to this decision lightly. As a mother and a wife, my family comes first. I know that this action will subject me to further attacks by Prince Andrew and his surrogates. But I knew that if I did not pursue this action, I would be letting them and victims everywhere down,” Giuffre said.
Sources
Prince Andrew sued in federal court for alleged sexual abuse
Virginia Giuffre Files Lawsuit Accusing Prince Andrew of Rape
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