Britain's Prince Andrew wants a judge to dismiss a sexual abuse lawsuit brought against him because he says the teenage accuser was the legal age of consent at the time.
In the lawsuit, Virginia Roberts Giuffre claims she was 17-years-old when she was raped by the prince. According to her claims, Giuffre was trafficked to Andrew by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died at age 66 in 2019 while being held in federal jail awaiting trial.
Giuffre claims she was forced to have sex with the prince at least three times in 2001. The alleged offenses took place in London, New York and the Virgin Islands.
Andrew, who has denied the accusations, recently filed a legal motion asking the judge to dismiss Giuffre's lawsuit on the basis of New York's Child Victims Act. He contends the legislation is flawed because it classifies those under the age of 18 as minors, even though the age of consent in New York is 17.
Lawyers for the prince are also questioning Giuffre's memory of the events, saying her "highly subjective determinations" have likely been "hampered by the passage of time" as "memories fade." They accused Giuffre of being intentionally vague, saying her complaint is "ambiguous at best and unintelligible at worst."
Andrew's legal team is also arguing that a secret settlement Giuffre reached with Epstein in 2009, which is expected to be made public in January, prevents her from seeking legal action against the prince.
The judge set a hearing for January 4.
Giuffre has not responded to the legal filing.
Epstein allegedly abused minor girls as young as 14 from 1994 to 1997. Epstein was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008 and died in prison in 2019 while facing fresh sex trafficking charges.
British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell is on trial, accused of being Epstein's partner in sex-trafficking young girls. She's charged with enticing a minor to travel to engage in criminal sexual activity, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, conspiracy to commit both of those offenses, and perjury. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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