Prince Andrew admitted through his lawyer that he had been served with a complaint by an American woman who claims he sexually assaulted her, clearing a hurdle that had previously blocked the case.
The acknowledgement was verified in a joint agreement signed by a Duke of York lawyer, authorized by a federal judge in Manhattan, and placed into the public court record on Tuesday.
Andrew had been contesting the lawsuit's admission until lawyers spoke by phone on September 21, according to court filings. Judge Lewis Kaplan's ruling states that an agreement was reached three days later.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre, 38, accuses Prince Andrew, 61, of rape and sexual assault in the complaint, alleging that she was sex-trafficked to him when she was 17 by Andrew's former acquaintance, the late convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, and that the prince was aware of it at the time.
Queen Elizabeth's son served with court paper twice
Serving a lawsuit on a defendant is typically a simple process, but it becomes more complex when the defendant lives outside of the United States, USA Today reported. Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II's second son, has been served twice, but never directly into his hands, according to court papers and Giuffre's legal team.
The papers were handed to his Los Angeles-based lawyer, Andrew Brettler, via FedEx earlier this month. On August 27, a process server in London left the lawsuit documents at his residence, Royal Lodge on the Windsor Castle estate, which is secured.
Virginia Giuffre alleges Prince Andrew molested her on several occasions when she was under the age of 18 in 2001, according to the lawsuit. The claims are "baseless," according to his lawyer.
David Boies, Giuffre's lawyer, had previously stated that he anticipated the prince's US counsel, Andrew Brettler, would ask for a "reasonable" delay to answer to the case - and that they would likely accept.
Per Daily Mail, the prince now has until October 29 to respond to the lawsuit's accusations. On November 3, a conference was planned.
A court must be satisfied that the accusations were properly served on the defendant and that he or she had a sufficient amount of time to reply. The judge was told by Giuffre's lawyers that they had given the lawsuit to Prince Andrew in various methods, but never directly to his hands.
A request from Giuffre's attorneys to formally contact Andrew about the case was allowed by the UK's high court at one stage.
At a hearing earlier this month, Andrew Brettler, a Los Angeles attorney who signed the documents on Andrew's behalf confirming the prince was aware of the case, contended that Giuffre's claim was "baseless, nonviable, and perhaps unlawful."
Read Also: Prince Charles Nearly Became Kidnap Victim By Female Mob Who Intends To Hold Him For Ransom
Prince Andrew faces another dispute
According to Roya Nikkhah of the Times of London, Prince Andrew is selling his £17 ($23) million Swiss chalet to settle a dispute over the property. The former owner, socialite Isabelle de Rouvre, sued Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson in 2020 for £6.6 million (almost $9 million), which she claimed the two owed her.
De Rouvre filed legal action after alleging that the former couple missed a January 1 deadline to pay the final amount on the seven-bedroom house. The Duke and Duchess of York purchased the mansion from de Rouvre in 2014 for £16.6 million ($22.75 million).
De Rourve has abandoned the case now that the home's sale is nearing completion, and the Yorks have agreed to use the proceeds to settle the debt, as per the Insider.
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