Woman Suing Prince Andrew for Abuse Settled With Epstein for $500,000

A pistillate who is among Jeffrey Epstein’s astir vocal accusers received $500,000 successful 2009 to resoluteness a suit successful which she accused him of repeatedly sexually abusing her erstwhile she was a teenager, according to a colony statement unsealed connected Monday.

The statement was made nationalist arsenic portion of a suit filed by the woman, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, against Prince Andrew, who was affable with Mr. Epstein and who Ms. Giuffre has said raped her erstwhile she was 17.

Prince Andrew, the 2nd lad of Queen Elizabeth II, has denied Ms. Giuffre’s allegations, and his lawyers are expected to reason astatine a proceeding connected Tuesday that her suit, which was filed successful national tribunal successful Manhattan, should beryllium dismissed.

Ms. Giuffre says successful the suit that she was trafficked and abused by Mr. Epstein and others successful his circle, including Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, starting erstwhile she was 16.

The prince, 61, was a person of Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite and longtime companion of Mr. Epstein’s who was convicted past week of conspiring with him to recruit, groom and sexually maltreatment underage girls.

Ms. Giuffre’s suit against Prince Andrew, which seeks unspecified damages, accuses him of abusing her “at Epstein and Maxwell’s invitation” successful New York. She says the prince besides abused her successful London and connected an land Mr. Epstein owned successful the U.S. Virgin Islands. Ms. Giuffre did not attest astatine Ms. Maxwell’s trial.

Prince Andrew’s lawyers person argued that Ms. Giuffre’s suit against him is invalid, successful portion due to the fact that of her 2009 colony with Mr. Epstein. In summation to the sum she received, the filing unsealed connected Monday shows her agreeing to driblet claims against Mr. Epstein and anyone other “who could person been included arsenic a imaginable defendant.”

In a connection connected Monday, David Boies, a lawyer for Ms. Giuffre, said the details of the 2009 statement were “irrelevant to Ms. Giuffre’s assertion against Prince Andrew.” The settlement, Mr. Boies said, did not notation the prince by sanction and helium “did not adjacent cognize astir it.”

Prince Andrew “could not person been a ‘potential defendant’ successful the settled lawsuit against Jeffrey Epstein some due to the fact that helium was not taxable to jurisdiction successful Florida and due to the fact that the Florida lawsuit progressive national claims to which helium was not a part,” Mr. Boies said.

Mr. Boies said that helium and Ms. Giuffre’s different lawyers had sought the nationalist merchandise of the colony filing to rebut claims made by Prince Andrew’s ineligible team. The prince’s lawyers person argued that Ms. Giuffre was seeking a “payday” by suing him.

A money created by Mr. Epstein’s property to compensate his victims has paid retired astatine slightest $121 million to much than 135 people.

Ms. Giuffre, who present runs a nonprofit radical called Speak Out, Act, Reclaim, filed her suit against Prince Andrew astir precisely 2 years aft Mr. Epstein killed himself in a national jail successful Manhattan portion awaiting proceedings connected sex-trafficking and conspiracy charges. He had been accused of sexually exploiting dozens of women and girls astatine his assorted homes.

Prince Andrew had stepped backmost from nationalist beingness successful 2019 aft a disastrous interrogation with the BBC astir his links to Mr. Epstein. Ms. Giuffre’s suit, which included a representation of her and the prince together, undermined his assertion successful the interrogation that helium could not callback gathering her.

The continuing questions astir Prince Andrew’s behaviour travel astatine a hard clip for Britain’s royal family, which has endured a nationalist rift wrong its ranks and is confronting worries astir the wellness of Queen Elizabeth, 95, aft the 2021 decease of her husband, Prince Philip.

Britain’s tabloid newspapers person seized connected tensions wrong the royal household that were exposed successful a bid of interviews successful which Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, described royal beingness arsenic a benignant of gilded situation and said that household members held retrograde views connected race.

Toward the extremity of past year, the queen canceled immoderate engagements due to the fact that of concerns implicit her health, but she did present her yearly televised Christmas message. She made nary notation of either Prince Harry’s determination to measurement down from duties arsenic a elder subordinate of the royal household oregon Prince Andrew’s ineligible battle.

Stephen Castle contributed reporting.