NEW YORK (KNX) — Lawyers representing both parties in a lawsuit accusing the British Prince Andrew of sexually abusing a 17-year-old said Tuesday they reached a tentative settlement in the case.
Attorney David Boies, who represents the plaintiff, Virginia Giuffre, said in a filing in New York federal court that both sides planned to inform the judge that a settlement in principle had been reached and they would be requesting a dismissal of the lawsuit within 30 days.
The filing said the prince would make a substantial donation for Giuffre's charity, and requested that the judge suspend all court deadlines and hold the action in abeyance, according to the Associated Press.
The lawsuit by Giuffre, who is also one of the most prominent accusers of the late Jeffrey Epstein, claimed that Prince Andrew, also known as the Duke of York, sexually abused her when she was 17 years old at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion, and again on his private Caribbean island, Little St. James.
In her complaint, Giuffre also claimed that the prince, Epstein, and Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell, forced her to have sex with Andrea at Maxwell’s home in London. Giuffree said she feared retribution if she disobeyed the three because of “their powerful connections, wealth, and authority.”
The suit forced the prince to relinquish his military titles and royal charities, and prohibited from using the title of “His Royal Highness.”
In a statement released on Tuesday, the prince said it was “known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years,” and that he “regrets his association with Epstein and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.”
The prince’s attorneys had previously called Giuffre’s lawsuit “baseless” and accused the plaintiff of trying to “achieve another payday” at his expense.
The settlement came just six months after Giuffre filed the suit, and one month after the judge denied the prince’s motion to dismiss it.
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