The prince andrew of england reached this Tuesday extrajudicial agreement with the woman who denounced him for sexual abuse when she was a minor, named Virginia Giuffrewhich seems to move away from the development of a trial that could bring him even more disrepute than the one he suffers after his progressive separation from the English court.
Andrés’ lawyers, led by David Boies, today filed a brief addressed to Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, in charge of the case, in which they do not reveal the terms of the agreement, but ask him to “suspend all terms” of the trial, which It was scheduled to start next fall.
In the letter signed by Boies, the defense anticipates to the judge that he is going to introduce a request for dismissal of the case within a period of 30 days.
Although the figures of the deal have not been disclosed, it is estimated that the out-of-court settlement is worth £7.5 million (about $10 million) with his accuser without admitting her accusations.
The agreement means that the civil case will not go to a jury trial, and also that Andres will no longer be questioned under oath by Virginia Giuffre’s attorneys, something that was expected to happen in the coming weeks.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the issue known today, which comes ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations planned for May and June, as well as a service at Westminster Abbey to remember the late Prince Philip. next month.
Monarchy sources told ITV News that the case was a matter for the Duke of York and his legal team, but the news will no doubt be welcomed by Queen Elizabeth and other high-ranking royals.
Sympathy with victims
The settlement will also spare Andres from having to report a series of potentially embarrassing revelations and accusations in the months leading up to and during the trial. For royal author Penny Junor, the settlement is likely to be a “huge relief” to the rest of the royal family because a trial “could have been very, very unpleasant” and “humiliating.”
Penny Junor also noted that There has been a “complete change of tone” in Andrés’ words about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, adding, “At last, he is expressing some regret and some empathy for those girls.” The agreement states that Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Mrs Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.
Attorney Lisa Bloom, who represents eight victims of the late Epstein, called the news a “victory” for Ms. Giuffre, tweeting on behalf of all eight: “We hail Virginia’s victory.” She has accomplished what no one else could: getting Prince Andrew to stop messing around and side with victims of sexual abuse.
The judge in the case, Lewis A. Kaplan, now has the power to file the case, as well as to keep the terms of the settlement secret.
Virginia Giuffre has not yet commented on the agreement on her Twitter account, where she usually comments on the ups and downs of her case and always demands justice for the victims of sexual abuse and trafficking, mentioning the NGO she founded to fight against this scourge called “Soar” (acronym for “speak up, act, claim).
A “substantial donation” for the NGO
But the lawyers of the two parties have signed a joint statement in which they give some details about the agreement, such as that Andrés will make “a substantial donation to Giuffre’s organization that defends the rights of victims.”
Without admitting at any time the personal responsibility of Andrés in the abuses that Giuffre denounced having suffered when he was 17 years old, the joint statement does mention his name: “Prince Andrés never tried to sully Giuffre’s personality, and acknowledges that she has suffered, both for being a victim and for unwarranted public attacks.
And for the first time, Andrés distances himself from his friend Jeffrey Epstein, the man who allegedly introduced him to Giuffre and who ended up committing suicide in a New York cell on the eve of being tried for numerous cases of sexual abuse.
Last January, Queen Elizabeth II of England withdrew his military titles from Andrés, and although she has not stripped him of the Duchy of York, she modified his profile on the monarchy’s website and immediately afterwards his YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook accounts disappeared. and Instagram.
Giuffre has repeatedly stated that his goal with the complaint – as he wrote in June last year – It was “that Andrés is forced to testify and show the world that no matter how rich they are and no matter how many titles they have, the justice system is enough for them because no one is above the law.”
But Prince Andrew has shown that he can avoid the bitter ordeal of testifying as a defendant in a foreign court. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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