Prince Andrew has paid his accuser, her attorney reports
The settlement brings to a close a civil lawsuit that sprung from the sprawling and disturbing allegations against Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy sex offender who befriended a series of powerful men despite a sketchy history.
By Lauren del Valle | CNN
Prince Andrew has paid a settlement to sexual abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre, according to her attorney Tuesday, bringing her lawsuit against the Duke of York to a close pending a federal judge’s sign-off.
Their attorneys submitted a stipulation to the court Tuesday for a dismissal of Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit.
“The payment was received, the settlement we announced last month has been completed. We are obviously very pleased with the outcome,” Giuffre’s attorney David Boies told CNN.
Boies would not disclose the amount the two parties agreed upon.
CNN reached out to counsel for Prince Andrew for comment.
The settlement brings to a close a civil lawsuit that sprung from the sprawling and disturbing allegations against Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy sex offender who befriended a series of powerful men despite a sketchy history.
In the lawsuit, Giuffre alleged Epstein trafficked her and forced her to have sex with his friends, including Prince Andrew, and that Andrew was aware she was underage in the US at the time. She alleged Andrew sexually abused her at Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, at his mansion in Manhattan and at his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell’s home in London.
The prince has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. Still, the allegations against Andrew, 62, dramatically tarnished his public standing, and he stepped back from royal duties in late 2019.
In January, Judge Lewis Kaplan denied Andrew’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, and he had been scheduled to give a statement under oath on March 10, a source told CNN.
However, the parties reached an out-of-court settlement agreement last month. The settlement included Prince Andrew’s payment of an undisclosed amount to Giuffre and to her charity supporting victims’ rights, according to court documents.
“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 a letter filed to the court last month announcing the settlement.
Epstein was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 as prosecutors accused him of carrying out a decades long scheme of sexual abuse of underage girls. He died by suicide in jail before he could face trial.
Maxwell was arrested in 2020 and accused of facilitating the abuse scheme. A federal jury convicted her in December on five federal counts, including sex trafficking a minor and conspiracy. However, that conviction could be upended as the court weighs concerns about a juror’s false statements on his questionnaire.