Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre reach settlement in sex abuse lawsuit

Court records filed Tuesday show Prince Andrew has reached a settlement with Virginia Giuffre, the American woman who claimed she was trafficked to the British prince by child predator and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein when she was underage.

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In a letter filed Tuesday in court, an attorney for Giuffre said that lawyers expect to file documents to dismiss the case upon his client’s receipt of the settlement within 30 days.

Details of the settlement, which was reached out of court, were not released. However, in court records, attorneys noted, “Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victim’s rights.”

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Attorneys for Andrew last year argued for dismissal of the lawsuit, in which Giuffre alleged that she was sexually abused by the prince in London, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands after meeting him in 2001, when she was 17. U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan declined to dismiss the suit, writing in an opinion that Andrew’s attorneys failed to prove that the lawsuit was “legally insufficient.”

In an exhibit filed Tuesday in court, attorneys said that Andrew “regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.”

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“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 exhibit read. “It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years. Prince 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.”

Giuffre filed her lawsuit in August, two years after Epstein, 66, committed suicide while awaiting trial in a federal jail cell in New York. He had been accused of sexually abusing and exploiting dozens of girls between 2002 and 2005. Late last year, a jury convicted Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, of helping to recruit young girls to be sexually abused by the late financier.

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Andrew has denied having sexually abused or assaulted Giuffre.

Last month, the British royal family announced that Andrew was returning his military affiliations and royal patronages to Queen Elizabeth II as he fought the sex abuse lawsuit. Andrew is the son of Elizabeth and the late Prince Philip and has been listed as ninth in line to the throne.

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