London, Jan 4, (PA Media/dpa/GNA) – A US judge is to hear arguments over a motion, to dismiss a civil sex lawsuit brought against the Duke of York.
Virginia Giuffre is suing Andrew for alleged sexual assault when she was a teenager, but the duke’s legal team will make their argument to dismiss the case at a hearing on Tuesday.
Judge Lewis A Kaplan, who is presiding over the civil case, is due to hold a video teleconference a day after a 12-page document was made public revealing the terms of a 500,000 dollars payout from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, to Ms Giuffre.
The document detailed Ms Giuffre had in 2009 agreed to “release, acquit, satisfy, and forever discharge” Epstein and “any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant”. The settlement relates to a Florida state case to which the duke was not a party.
Andrew B Brettler, who represents Andrew, has argued that Ms Giuffre had entered into a “settlement agreement” that would end her lawsuit.
He previously told a New York hearing the agreement “releases Prince Andrew and others from any purported liability arising from the claims Ms Giuffre asserted against Prince Andrew here”.
Ms Giuffre’s lawyer, David Boies, believes the settlement is “irrelevant to the case against Prince Andrew”.
Ms Giuffre is seeking unspecified damages, but there is speculation the sum could be in the millions of dollars.
She claims she was trafficked by disgraced financier Epstein, to have sex with Andrew when she was aged 17 and a minor under US law.
Andrew has denied all the allegations.
Judge Kaplan last week denied a motion from Andrew’s lawyers to halt the civil proceedings, while the issue of where Ms Giuffre lives is dealt with.
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend and Andrew’s friend, faces the rest of her life in jail after she was convicted last month of helping to procure teenage girls for the disgraced financier to sexually abuse.
GNA