Prince Andrew expressed his regret for associating with the late billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, but refused to admit he ever sexually assaulted Giuffre.
Prince Andrew and Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre have reached an out-of-court settlement in the latter’s sexual abuse lawsuit.
According to CNN, both parties anticipate that the case will be formally dismissed within the next 30 days. The details of the settlement are not expected to be made public.
“Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights,” read a letter addressed to federal Judge Lewis Kaplan. “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.”
As LegalReader.com has reported before, Giuffre—among the first women to accuse the late billionaire Jeffrey Epstein of rape and human trafficking—said she was introduced to Prince Andrew by Epstein and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.
In her lawsuit, Giuffre said that Andrew sexually assaulted her on several different occasions and in several different countries.
At the time of the alleged incidents, Giuffre was underage.
Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied the accusations, saying he either does not know or cannot recognize Giuffre—despite several widely-circulated photographs showing the prince with his arm around a teenage Giuffre’s waist.
As recently as January, attorneys for the royal insisted that Andrew wanted to take the case to trial.
Legal experts, however, suggested that Prince Andrew would likely be forced to settle—a better option, presumably, than taking the stand to testify about his supposed relations with a young woman.
“It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years,” the letter to Judge Kaplan says. “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.”
Although the exact details of the settlement are not to be made public, the agreement does allow Prince Andrew to deny wrongdoing.
Gloria Allred, who has represented 20 of Epstein’s victims in litigation, told BBC Radio 4 that the world may never know the truth about Prince Andrew.
“This case will be dismissed and each will go their own way, and he’ll never end up testifying under oath and the public will just have to decide who they believe,” Allred said.
Sources
Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre agree to settle sex abuse lawsuit
Prince Andrew lawsuit: public will have to decide who to believe, says US lawyer
Prince Andrew Settles Sexual Abuse Lawsuit With Virginia Giuffre
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