Prince Andrew Given Deadline For Evidence In Sex Abuse Lawsuit
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A deadline has been set for depositions to be completed in the civil sexual assault case against Prince Andrew.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre alleges she was ‘forced to have sexual intercourse’ with the Duke of York ‘against her will’ when she was 17 years old, in addition to being a victim of Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted paedophile and financier. She also claims she was trafficked by Ghislaine Maxwell on three occasions.
After a rigmarole regarding the delivery of legal papers to Prince Andrew’s team, the case is proceeding, with District Judge Lewis Kaplan in the Southern District of New York setting a deadline for depositions.
All depositions must be completed on or before July 14, 2022, The Evening Standard reports, setting up a possible clash with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June. Both Prince Andrew and Giuffre are expected to answer questions under oath.
A pre-trial order is also due for July 28 next year, and no additional parties are permitted to join the case after December 15 this year.
The Duke has vehemently denied all accusations. ‘I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever,’ he said during his 2019 Newsnight appearance, also saying he had no recollection of the photo of him with his arm around Giuffre’s waist.
Prince Andrew’s lawyers have also argued Giuffre’s suit could be brought to an end by a past ‘settlement agreement’ between the defendant and Epstein.
While Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick previously announced the Metropolitan Police would conduct a review of the allegations, the force will not be going forward with a formal investigation.
‘As a matter of procedure MPS officers reviewed a document released in August 2021 as part of a US civil action. This review has concluded and we are taking no further action. We also reviewed information passed to us by a media organisation in June 2021. This review is complete and no further action will be taken,’ a statement read.
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Topics: News, Now, Prince Andrew, UK, Virginia Roberts Giuffre
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Deadline set for evidence in Prince Andrew’s civil sexual assault case
