Prince Andrew must face sex abuse accuser’s lawsuit - U.S. judge

NEW YORK, (Reuters) - Britain’s Prince Andrew failed to persuade a U.S. judge to dismiss Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit accusing the Duke of York of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager.

In a decision made public yesterday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said Giuffre, 38, could pursue claims that Andrew battered her and intentionally caused her emotional distress while the late financier Jeffrey Epstein was trafficking her.

The Manhattan judge said it was premature to assess Andrew’s efforts to “cast doubt” on those claims, though the 61-year-old prince could do so at a trial.

Kaplan said it was also too soon to decide whether Giuffre’s 2009 civil settlement with Epstein “clearly and unambiguously” shielded Andrew from her lawsuit.

The judge did not address the merits of Giuffre’s claims.

Lawyers for Andrew did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

David Boies, a lawyer for Giuffre, in a statement said his client was pleased, and “looks forward to a judicial determination” of the merits of her claims.

Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth, has denied Giuffre’s accusations that he forced her to have sex more than two decades ago at a London home of former Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and abused her at two Epstein properties.

Kaplan’s decision keeps the case on track for a trial that he has said could begin between September and December 2022 if no settlement were reached.

Sarah Krissoff, a partner at Day Pitney and a former federal prosecutor, said the decision made it more likely Andrew would pursue an out-of-court settlement.