Epstein Accuser Settles Sex Suit Against Prince Andrew; He Admits 'She Has Suffered'
Britain’s Prince Andrew has reached a legal settlement with Virginia Giuffre, the woman who accused the prince of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.
Andrew faced a lawsuit from Giuffre, who had described being trafficked by the now-deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein and his longtime associate and former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.
Andrew’s lawyer released a joint statement Tuesday with Giuffre’s lawyer, David Boies, along with documents submitted to a New York federal judge.
It declared Giuffre’s legal action against Andrew would end “upon Ms. Giuffre’s receipt of the settlement.”
BREAKING: Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre have reached a settlement. pic.twitter.com/VYLyMdROSa
— Ellie Hall (@ellievhall) February 15, 2022
The exact terms of the settlement are undisclosed. The New York Post, citing an unidentified source, reported Tuesday that the amount was estimated to be about $12 million.
Prince Andrew reaches settlement with accuser Virginia Giuffre in sex abuse suit https://t.co/jFhDyzNjTi pic.twitter.com/kIetGXQEB5
— New York Post (@nypost) February 15, 2022
“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,” the unsigned statement reads.
The statement expresses Andrew’s “regret” for his lengthy association with Epstein, revealing he’s making a “substantial donation” to Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.
Giuffre alleged that Andrew raped her on multiple occasions. In court documents, she accused Andrew of sexually assaulting her between 2000 and 2002 on Epstein’s infamous “Pedophile Island” of Little Saint James in the Caribbean.
Andrew asserted his innocence, even going so far as to suggest to the BBC that a photo of him with his arm around a teenaged Giuffre was manipulated.
Boies notified a federal judge that the parties in Giuffre’s civil lawsuit have settled the matter, and that they expect the case to be dismissed within 30 days.
BREAKING Giuffre v Prince Andrew: case settled pic.twitter.com/m4VDrIPkA2
— Joshua Rozenberg (@JoshuaRozenberg) February 15, 202
Prince Andrew lost his royal and military titles because of the Giuffre’s allegations, with his brother, heir to the throne Prince Charles, essentially banning him from Windsor Castle, where his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, spends much of her time, according to British press reports.
Andrew previously tried to spike Giuffre’s civil lawsuit in court.
Andrew had been slated to appear in court for a deposition in the case, according to The New York Times. The proceedings could have focused new light on Andrew’s relationship with Epstein, posing further embarrassment for the royal family.
In December, Maxwell was convicted of federal sex trafficking charges. Maxwell, who will be sentenced in June, could face up to 65 years in prison for her cooperation with Epstein.
A representative for Andrew told Buzzfeed that the disgraced royal has no additional comment “beyond the statement filed as part of the court docket.”
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