Prince Andrew Sex Abuse Papers Finally Accepted By Lawyers
Published
Prince Andrew has finally accepted legal papers concerning sexual assault claims made by Jeffrey Epstein survivor Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
Giuffre is attempting to sue the prince, alleging that she had been forced to have sex with him on three separate occasions while she was still just 17 years old.
In a lawsuit filed in a New York Court, Giuffre has alleged she was ‘forced to have sexual intercourse with Prince Andrew against her will’, with her allegations including ‘rape in the first degree’. Prince Andrew, 61, has continually denied Giuffre’s claims against him.
The legal papers were sent to the Duke of York’s US lawyer, Andrew Brettler, in LA on Monday, September 20, by FedEx and email. Going forward, Prince Andrew now has 21 days to respond to allegations made by Giuffre of rape, sexual assault and sexual battery.
As reported by the MailOnline, sources have said that Prince Andrew has now accepted ‘the inevitable’ but intends to ‘come out fighting’.
The source went on to state that Prince Andrew’s team intend to use the civil court claim to repudiate the accusations filed against him ‘point by point, claim by claim’ with the hope of clearing his name, with the Duke reportedly retaining ‘every confidence in his legal team and their strategy’.
Last week, US judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that emailing court papers to Brettler, rather than serving them directly to Prince Andrew, would be considered acceptable.
This ruling came after his legal team argued that legal papers had not been properly served in the UK, as they had been left outside with a police officer at the gate of his Windsor residence.
A second preliminary hearing is scheduled to take place in Manhattan on October 13.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 802 9999 between 12pm–2.30pm and 7pm– 9.30pm every day. Alternatively, you can contact Victim Support free on 08 08 16 89 111 available 24/7, every day of the year, including Christmas
Male Survivors Partnership is available to support adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape. You can contact the organisation on their website or on their free helpline 0808 800 5005, open 9am–5pm Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays; 8am–8pm Tuesdays and Thursdays; 10am–2pm Saturdays
