According to a court filing, Prince Andrew reached a settlement with Virginia Giuffre over the sex abuse lawsuit she filed against him. On Tuesday, a lawyer for Giuffre informed a judge that lawyers on both sides will request the lawsuit be dismissed in the next month. The court filing said all lawyers involved are asking the judge to suspend all deadlines and put the case on hold.
“Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights,” Giuffre lawyer David Boies wrote in a statement attached to the filing, according to this tweet from BuzzFeed News reporter Ellie Hall. “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.”
The statement also discusses Prince Andrew’s association to Jeffrey Epstein, whom Giuffre had accused of trafficking her to Prince Andrew when she was 17.
“It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years. Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others,” Boies said. “[Andrew] pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.”
The sex abuse settlement between Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre came just over a month after the judge denied an attempt from Andrew’s legal team to get an early dismissal of the lawsuit. Lawyers for Andrew had argued a 2009 sex trafficking settlement between Giuffre and Epstein should prevent her from suing Andrew and that the suit against Andrew lacked specificity.
A day after the judge denied the request, Buckingham Palace announced Queen Elizabeth II had stripped Andrew of his honorary military titles. The Queen also ordered Andrew to give up honorary leadership of various charities, known as royal patronages. Tuesday’s settlement announcement prevents the lawsuit from going to trial, potentially saving the monarchy from further embarrassment.
