A New York federal judge denied Prince Andrew's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed against him by Virginia Giuffre who accuses the British royalty of sexual abuse.
Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that the complaint of Giuffre as "neither 'unintelligible' nor 'vague' nor 'ambiguous.'"
"It alleges discrete incidents of sexual abuse in particular circumstances at three identifiable locations. It identifies to whom it attributes that sexual abuse," Judge Kaplan wrote.
Judge Kaplan dismissed Prince Andrew's argument that the lawsuit was "legally insufficient" to be heard in court.
The ruling will lead to a series of dramatic court hearings involving the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, who has stepped back from royal duties in late 2019 due to his tarnished reputation.
The court gives Andrew until July 14 to answer questions about the lawsuit under oath, after a verdict made by Kaplan in 2021. If the case will not get settled, the Prince shall be put on trial scheduled within September to December this year, according to CNN report.
The Sexual Assults
Giuffre alleges in the lawsuit that the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein trafficked her and forced her to engage in sex with his friends, including Prince Andrew. She also claimed that the British Royalty has knowledge that she was just 17 years old at that time.
She was allegedly abused sexually by the Prince in multiple locations: in Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands, Epstein's Manhattan mansion, and at the London residence of Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, as per Associated Press.
In an interview, Giuffre said she was brought to the Tramp nightclub where Andrew asked her to dance and he was "sweating all over" her.
Giuffre's lawsuit also alleges that she suffered "significant emotional and psychological distress" from the sexual assaults.
In 2019, Prince Andrew denied the allegations of Giuffre, claiming that he had no memory of ever meeting her and her account of their sexual encounters, as per BBC.
In the same interview, Andrew said that he had a rare medical condition that prevents his body to sweat. He also stated that the time he is alleged to have had a sexual encounter with Giuffre. the Duke of York was actually taking his daughter to a party at a pizza restaurant in Woking, London
His legal team presented a court agreement between Giuffre and Epstein in 2009 to not take any legal actions against anyone else connected to Epstein when she settled damages claim against the financier.
High Profile Civil Case
In a hearing conducted online, Andrew's lawyers argued that their client was a "potential defendant" in the agreement and the case filed against the Duke of York should be dismissed. However, Giuffre's lawyer countered that only parties of the settlement agreement could benefit from it which excludes a third party, in which Andrew falls.
A possible high-profile trial is now on the horizon It could be a period of difficulty and crucial decisions in front of Prince Andrew, as well as for Buckingham Palace.
However, the civil trial, to be conducted in New York, will provide Giuffre the opportunity to present and prove her allegations. It will also give the chance for Prince Andrew to clear his name in public.
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