One of deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent alleged victims has filed a long-anticipated lawsuit against the United Kingdom’s Prince Andrew, accusing the 61-year-old royal of sexually abusing her in three locations around the world.
In a complaint filed in New York federal court on Monday, Virginia Giuffre claims the prince “committed sexual assault and battery” against her when she was 17, causing “severe and lasting” damage.
The blockbuster allegations first surfaced in Giuffre’s civil litigation some six years ago accusing Ghislaine Maxwell of turning her into a “sex slave” for the wealthy and powerful, including the British prince.
According to the lawsuit, the prince sexually assaulted Giuffre in three different locales, when she was a “child.”
The first set of allegations, producing a photograph that has long embarrassed Andrew, took place in Maxwell’s London home.
“During this encounter, Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince Andrew forced Plaintiff, a child, to have sexual intercourse with Prince Andrew against her will,” the complaint states.
Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, claims that the prince also abused her in Epstein’s New York mansion.
“During this encounter, Maxwell forced Plaintiff, a child, and another victim to sit on Prince Andrew’s lap as Prince Andrew touched her,” the complaint states. “During his visit to New York, Prince Andrew forced Plaintiff to engage in sex acts against her will.”
Giuffre claims that the third alleged assault took place on Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands: Little St. James, which also reportedly earned the reputation as “Pedophile Island.”
In 2015, Giuffre sued Maxwell in the Southern District of New York for defamation, after Maxwell denied having trafficked her.
According to the lawsuit, the prince emailed Maxwell that year, writing: “Let me know when we can talk. Got some specific questions to ask you about Virginia Roberts.”
Giuffre’s lawsuit against Maxwell later settled on undisclosed terms, which saw broad swaths of the court record sealed. The allegations inside slowly trickled out after the Miami Herald’s reporter Julie K. Brown won an open-records battle to disclose dozens of briefs and filings.
The Herald’s coverage has been widely been credited for Epstein and Maxwell’s prosecution, and the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office repeatedly requested interviews with Prince Andrew.
Multiple times, that office publicly rebuked the prince, with ex-U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman claiming that Andrew provided “zero cooperation.”
“Prince Andrew and his counsel have also refused to cooperate with counsel for the victims of Epstein’s sex trafficking. Counsel for the victims of Epstein’s sex trafficking, including counsel for Plaintiff, have repeatedly asked for a meeting or telephone call with Prince Andrew and/or his representatives to enable Prince Andrew to provide whatever facts, context, or explanation he might have, and to explore alternative dispute resolution approaches,” the complaint states. “Prince Andrew and his representatives have rejected all such requests, and responded by escalating their vile and baseless attacks on Plaintiff and others.”
Represented by attorney David Boies, Giuffre’s lawsuit has two counts against the prince: battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Read the lawsuit below:
(Photo of Prince Andrew and Giuffre from the lawsuit)
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