Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre agreed not to sue ‘other defendants’ in 2009 Epstein deal
- The 2009 agreement said accuser Virginia Giuffre would be paid US$500,000 as part of the deal
- US District Judge Lewis Kaplan is to determine whether the clause in the 2009 deal shielding others from liability blocks Giuffre from suing Andrew
Prince Andrew’s sexual assault accuser had agreed not to sue “other potential defendants” related to Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged sex crimes, a once-confidential document released on Monday showed.
Lawyers for the British royal argue that the settlement, unveiled by a New York court, means Virginia Giuffre’s US lawsuit against the prince should be dismissed.
The previously secret agreement, made in Florida in 2009, shows that Giuffre settled her lawsuit against the late disgraced money manager Epstein for US$500,000.
It does not mention Andrew directly but contains a provision that claims to protect “other potential defendants” from being sued related to alleged sexual abuse committed by Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019.
The document says Giuffre will “remise, release, acquit, satisfy, and forever discharge the said Second Parties and any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant (‘Other Potential Defendants’) from all, and all manner of, action and actions.”
It adds that provision relates to claims made in state and federal courts.
Andrew’s lawyers have cited this stipulation in their arguments that Giuffre’s lawsuit in New York against Queen Elizabeth second son should be thrown out.