Prince Andrew’s Attempt To Block Virginia Giuffre Lawsuit Rejected By Judge

Federal judge Judge Lewis A Kaplan has rejected Prince Andrew’s bid to block Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against him.

Lawyers for the prince have claimed the agreement protects him against the claims brought by Giuffre. However, judges Kaplan and Loretta Preska ordered the documents to be made available to the public on or around January 3, 2022.

Kaplan also dismissed the prince’s lawyer Andrew Brettler’s argument that the case should be dismissed on grounds of jurisdiction, as Giuffre, a US citizen, no longer lives in the US.

The lawyers argued that Giuffre has been living in Australia for all but two of the past 19 years and has an Australian driving licence.

In a statement Giuffre’s attorney, Sigrid McCawley, said the request was ‘just another in a series of tired attempts by Prince Andrew to duck and dodge the legal merits of the case Virginia Giuffre has brought against him. All parties in litigation are subject to discovery and Prince Andrew is no exception.’

Judge Kaplan said the prince’s legal team are yet to formally raise the defence, and expressed no opinion on the merits of the claim.

The case is currently on-going, and oral arguments regarding Prince Andrew’s request to dismiss the case are scheduled to be heard tomorrow morning, January 3, via a video teleconference.