Prince Andrew has settled his civil lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre, a woman who accused him of raping her when she was a teenager, a court filing seen by Newsweek states.
Queen Elizabeth II’s second eldest son’s lawsuit accused him of raping Giuffre when she was a 17-year-old sex trafficking victim of the prince’s friend, Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince Andrew has not accepted the allegations against him, which he has always denied. The filing said he had “never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre’s character.”
He vowed to demonstrate “regret” for his association with convicted sex offender Epstein, and will “make a substantial donation” to Giuffre’s charity which aims to help sex trafficking victims, the filing stated.
The filing submitted to the federal court in New York from both sides detailed how the dramatic lawsuit will end.
“Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew have reached an out of court settlement,” it said.
“The parties will file a stipulated dismissal upon Ms Giuffre’s receipt of the settlement (the sum of which is not being disclosed).
“Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.
“Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.
“It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years. Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.
“He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.”
A joint letter by the two sides, seen by Newsweek, added: “The parties anticipate filing a stipulation of dismissal of the case within thirty (30) days.”
The reference to maligning Ms. Giuffre’s character may refer to suggestions in past court filing that she was motivated by money.
A December filing read: “For over a decade, Giuffre has profited from her allegations against Epstein and others by selling stories and photographs to the press and entering into secret agreements to resolve her claims against her alleged abusers, including Epstein and his ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.
“Most people could only dream of obtaining the sums of money that Giuffre has
secured for herself over the years.”
Andrew’s legal team obtained the 2009 settlement agreement that Giuffre signed with Epstein for $500,000 and tried unsuccessfully to use it to get the case thrown out.
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