New York: A 2009 settlement agreement between convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre provided a release from liability for “any other person or entity” who could have been a defendant against claims by Giuffre, a court filing showed on Tuesday morning (AEDT).
The deal was made public as part of Giuffre’s civil lawsuit accusing Britain’s Prince Andrew of sexual abuse. The court documents reveal that Epstein settled the lawsuit with Giuffre for $500,000.
Prince Andrew is accused of sexual abuse.Credit:AP
Andrew’s lawyers are using Giuffre’s Epstein settlement to argue that the case against the senior royal should be dismissed on the grounds that the Epstein agreement barred Giuffre from taking future legal action against some Epstein associates.
US District Judge Lewis Kaplan will now have to decide whether the exclusion clause blocks Giuffre’s lawsuit against Andrew.
Giuffre’s lawsuit accuses Andrew of forcing her to have sex more than two decades ago when she was under 18. The lawsuit says the assaults took place at the London home of Epstein’s former and recently convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as at two of Epstein’s homes.
Giuffre, 38, is seeking unspecified damages in a civil lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court.
Andrew, 61, has denied Giuffre’s assertions and has moved to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing Giuffre is seeking a “payday” from her accusations against Epstein and his associates. The prince has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing.
Andrew argues the 2009 confidential agreement Giuffre reached with Epstein – whom she has accused of trafficking her for sex when she was a teenager – shields him from liability.
Andrew’s lawyer says the deal covers “royalty ” and that Epstein intended for it to cover anyone Giuffre might sue.
Epstein’s Giuffre deal made public as part of Prince Andrew civil suit
Source: Philippines Alive
