PRINCE TO SETTLE ABUSE CASE, DONATE TO CHARITY
Britain’s Prince Andrew, accused in a lawsuit of sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl supplied to him by financier Jeffrey Epstein, has agreed to settle by making a substantial donation to his accuser’s charity and declaring he never meant to malign her character, a court filing revealed Tuesday.
The deal avoids a trial that would have brought further embarrassment to the monarchy. Besides the undisclosed donation to Virginia Giuffre’s charity, it says Andrew acknowledges she has suffered as an abuse victim. It did not specify whether Giuffre would personally receive money as part of the settlement.
Attorney David Boies, representing Giuffre, told the New York federal judge overseeing the case in a letter that a settlement in principle had been reached and lawyers on both sides would request a dismissal of the lawsuit within a month.
Andrew’s lawyer did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan said he would suspend the case until March 17, when he might set a trial date if the lawyers don’t ask for a dismissal by then.
Giuffre, 38, sued Andrew in August. The American accused the British royal of sexually abusing her while she traveled with Epstein.
Andrew denied Giuffre’s allegations and attempted to get the lawsuit tossed earlier this year.
According to a statement attached to the letter from Boies, Prince Andrew acknowledged that Epstein trafficked “countless young girls” over many years and said the prince “regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.”
He also pledged to support the victims of sex trafficking as part of demonstrating his regret.
The tentative settlement comes weeks after Kaplan rejected the prince’s attempt to win an early dismissal of the lawsuit, meaning depositions and other evidence gathering could commence. After Kaplan ruled, Andrew was stripped of his honorary military titles and roles and leadership of various charities.