Prince Andrew to settle sex abuse case
NEW YORK — 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.
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 strenuously denied Giuffre’s allegations and attempted to get the lawsuit tossed earlier this year.
Attached to the letter from Boies was a statement that read: “Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew have reached an out of court settlement. The parties will file a stipulated dismissal upon Ms. Giuffre’s receipt of the settlement (the sum of which is not being disclosed).”
“Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights. 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.”
According to the statement, 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.
After Kaplan ruled, Andrew — who had already stepped back from royal duties — was stripped of his honorary military titles and roles and leadership of various charities, known as royal patronages.
Giuffre asserted that she met Andrew while she traveled frequently with Epstein between 2000-02, when her lawyers maintain she was “on call for Epstein for sexual purposes” and was “lent out to other powerful men,” including Andrew.
Andrew repeatedly denied Giuffre’s allegations and has said he can’t recall ever meeting her, although a photograph of Giuffre and Andrew together in a London townhouse, his arm around her bare midriff, was included in Giuffre’s lawsuit against him.
Inconsistencies in her statements over the years that would have been highlighted by Andrew’s attorneys at trial may have motivated her to settle, though she has explained them as innocent mistakes that occur when recalling traumatic events years later. The settlement may be a relief to others beyond the prince and Giuffre because of the names that might have arisen at trial. Besides Andrew, Giuffre has said she was sexually trafficked to former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, high-profile lawyer Alan Dershowitz, French modeling scout Jean Luc Brunel and billionaire Glenn Dubin, among others. All have said her accounts are fabricated.