A previously sealed settlement between a woman accusing Prince Andrew of sexual assault and Jeffrey Epstein has now been made public.
Virginia Giuffre had previously settled with the deceased billionaire in 2009. In return, Epstein would send her $500,000 in compensation and agree to have no contact with her from there on out. Prince Andrew claims that this settlement will protect him from her pending lawsuit against him, in which she alleges that he sexually assaulted her multiple times when she was underage.
According to The Guardian, Prince Andrew helped to file the settlement between Giuffre and Epstein in order to dismiss any potential case she might bring against him. The settlement in question would allow her to receive compensation if she does not sue any figure that could testify against Epstein.
Although Prince Andrew is not directly named in the settlement agreement, it is likely that he would be considered such a figure. What will now be contested is whether Epstein's highly publicized death in 2019 allows Giuffre to pursue a lawsuit against the royal figure, as no clause regarding death involving either party was in the settlement.
This settlement reveal comes a week after Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's business partner and Prince Andrew's friend, was found guilty of sex trafficking, among other charges. She is currently awaiting sentencing but does not have plans to release the names of others that may have been involved in the trafficking and abuse of victims like Giuffre.
"Having lived with the horrors of Maxwell's abuse, my heart goes out to the many other girls and young women who suffered at her hands and whose lives she destroyed," Giuffre said in a statement upon Maxwell's conviction. "I hope that today is not the end but rather another step in justice being served. Maxwell did not act alone. Others must be held accountable. I have faith that they will be."
The prince's lawyers have challenged the lawsuit on multiple grounds, saying, "Andrew never sexually abused or assaulted Giuffre. He unequivocally denies Giuffre's false allegations against him."
They also wrote that Giuffre sued Andrew "to achieve another payday at his expense and at the expense of those closest to him. Epstein's abuse of Giuffre does not justify her public campaign against Prince Andrew."
Oral arguments over the request to dismiss the lawsuit without a trial are scheduled for Tuesday.
Recently, lawyers have said Giuffre should be disallowed from suing because she has lived most of the past two decades in Australia and can't accurately claim to be a resident of Colorado, where her mother lives.
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan has rejected an attempt by the lawyers to halt progression of the lawsuit and to subject Giuffre to a deposition over the issue of where she is a resident.
In late 2019, Prince Andrew told BBC Newsnight that he never had sex with Giuffre, saying, "It didn't happen."
He said he has "no recollection" of ever meeting her.
The interview was widely panned by critics who said Andrew seemed insensitive to Epstein's victims. Afterward, the prince was made to step back from royal duties.
A message was left with a spokesperson for Giuffre's lawyers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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