U.K. High Court Will Make Sure That Prince Andrew Is Served With Sex Assault Suit
Topline
A London court has said it will notify Prince Andrew, who has been accused of sexual abuse by one of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s most outspoken accusers, Virginia Giuffre, of the lawsuit filed against him in a U.S. court, which could help speed up the case days after the prince’s legal team argued that the royal had not been properly served.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, attends a commemoration service at Manchester Cathedral marking the … [+]
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Key Facts
London’s High Court told Reuters it had accepted a request for service from Giuffre’s lawyers, adding it would “take steps” to serve the suit unless Andrew and Giuffre’s teams agree to arrange for the papers to be served.
During a pretrial hearing Monday, Andrew’s lawyer argued that the prince had not been legally served the suit under the Geneva Convention, which stipulates that international service must be approved by respective authorities.
Giuffre’s legal team said in documents filed in a New York court last week that they’d tried to serve Andrew multiple times and finally left the suit with an on-duty police officer posted at his royal residence in Windsor, England, in August.
Key Background
Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit seeking damages against Andrew in a New York Court last month, alleging that Andrew had raped her on three occasions when she was a teenager and being sex trafficked by Epstein and his friend and onetime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite who is thought to have introduced Epstein to the prince. Andrew has denied abusing Giuffre both in court this week and in past media interviews. In 2019 he stepped down from his royal duties over his friendship with the disgraced financier, who he continued seeing after Epstein was convicted of soliciting underage girls in 2008. Epstein committed suicide awaiting sex trafficking charges in August 2019, and Maxwell has remained in custody since her 2020 arrest on sex trafficking charges.
Further Reading
U.K. court to ensure sexual assault papers can be served on Prince Andrew (Reuters)
Prince Andrew Served With Lawsuit By Jeffrey Epstein Accuser (Forbes)
Prince Andrew Sued In U.S. Court By Jeffrey Epstein Accuser Virginia Giuffre (Forbes)
Prince Andrew Gives First Public Interview Since Stepping Down As A Working Royal Over Epstein Ties (Forbes)
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