Instead of facing his sexual abuse accuser in court, the U.K.'s Prince Andrew has reportedly paid a settlement to end the case against him. Virginia Giuffre's attorney confirmed Tuesday that they had received the undisclosed settlement amount, and a U.S. district judge has already agreed to dismiss the lawsuit against the Duke of York.
Giuffre's attorney David Boies said the settlement they had initially announced last month has already been paid, and he and his client are "very pleased" with the outcome of the case. After the settlement was paid, Boies and Prince Andrew's lawyers filed a stipulation to the lawsuit asking for it to be dismissed with prejudice. This means that Guiffre can no longer file the same lawsuit against Prince Andrew.
The settlement ends the civil action that sprang from the wide-ranging and troubling claims made against Jeffrey Epstein and his friends and acquaintances allegedly involved in his high-profile sex trafficking ring.
Giuffre claimed in her lawsuit that Epstein trafficked her and forced her to have intercourse with his associates, including Prince Andrew, despite the fact that Andrew was aware she was under the age of consent at the time. She claims Andrew sexually molested her on Epstein's private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, at his Manhattan house, and at the home of his former lover Ghislaine Maxwell in London.
The prince has denied any misconduct on several occasions. However, the claims made against the 62-year-old prince have severely harmed his public image, forcing him to withdraw from his royal responsibilities.
Prince Andrew's lawyers had worked to have the case dismissed, but that motion was denied by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in January this year. Prince Andrew was scheduled to give a statement under oath this month. However, it was delayed after the attorneys from both parties agreed to discuss an out-of-court settlement agreement. Under the agreement, Prince Andrew would not only pay Giuffre an undisclosed amount, but he would also be required to make a contribution to her charity that supports victims of sexual abuse.
Prince Andrew reportedly agreed to make a "substantial donation" to Giuffre's charity. His lawyers said he never intended to harm Giuffre, and he acknowledged that she was a victim of abuse and unfair attacks due to the situation she is in.
Prosecutors accused Epstein of carrying out a decades-long plan of sexual abuse of underage girls. He was charged with federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019. He committed suicide in jail before going on trial.
In 2020, Maxwell was arrested and charged with assisting in the abuses committed by Epstein and his associates. In December, a federal jury found her guilty of five federal charges, including sex trafficking a juvenile and conspiracy to traffic minors.
