US judge to rule soon on Prince Andrew's Epstein case
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Prince Andrew's request for dismissing his case about sexual assault will be looked into soon, says a US judge.
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Prince Andrew's legal team has accused Giuffre of seeking to profit from a "baseless lawsuit."
A New York judge will decide "pretty soon" whether to dismiss a sexual assault lawsuit against Prince Andrew after the royal's lawyers argued Tuesday that he was protected by a settlement that his accuser signed in 2009.
Attorney Andrew Brettler told a court hearing that accuser Virginia Giuffre had "waived her rights" to sue other defendants in relation to alleged sex crimes committed by late financier and socialite Jeffrey Epstein.
However, Judge Lewis Kaplan did not make an immediate ruling but appeared to express skepticism at Andrew's argument, questioning how a third party could enforce an agreement that it didn't know about when it was signed, knowing that the settlement was only between Giuffre and Epstein, with no mention of Andrew in the document.
"You'll have a decision pretty soon, but I'm not going to define that further," Kaplan said at the end of an hour of oral arguments.
The hearing in the civil action filed by Giuffre - also a longtime accuser of Epstein's companion, the convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell - were held via video conference with the public able to listen in by telephone.
Giuffre alleges that Epstein lent her out for sex with his wealthy and powerful associates, including Andrew, an allegation that Queen Elizabeth II's second son has repeatedly denied.
$500,000 settlement
The deal made public for the first time Monday by a New York court showed that Giuffre agreed to drop a civil claim against Epstein for $500,000.
The settlement contained a provision that purports to protect "other potential defendants" from being sued related to alleged sexual abuse committed by Epstein, who allegedly committed suicide in jail in 2019.
Brettler described it as "unambiguous" and argued that it protected the prince from litigation.
"Miss Giuffre intended to release a broad category of individuals, including royalty, including businessmen," Brettler said.
"She waived her rights to sue them when she entered into the 2009 release agreement and accepted the money from Mr. Epstein."
Giuffre sued the prince for unspecified damages last year, alleging he sexually assaulted her in 2001 when she was 17 and a minor under US law.
She says Andrew assaulted her at Epstein's home in New York, and on Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands.
Giuffre alleges Andrew also sexually abused her at the London home of Maxwell, who last week was found guilty of sex trafficking minors for Epstein.
Prince Andrew: "Baseless lawsuit"
On Friday, Kaplan rejected attempts by Andrew's lawyers to halt the progression of the suit now that Giuffre lives in Australia.
Prince Andrew, 61, has not been criminally charged.
His legal team has accused Giuffre of seeking to profit from a "baseless lawsuit."
