The 2009 Settlement Between Prince Andrew's Accuser And Jeffrey Epstein Was Made Public.
According to a 2009 damages settlement against the sex offender, Virginia Giuffre promised not to sue anyone associated to Jeffrey Epstein who may be classified as a "possible defendant."SAccording to the document, the financier paid her $500,000 (£371,000) to settle her claim, which was made public by a New York court.
Ms Giuffre is pursuing a civil complaint against the Duke of York for allegedly sexually assaulting her as a teenager 20 years ago.
The document was made public ahead of a crucial hearing in the civil action involving Prince Andrew on Tuesday, and the interpretation of the settlement will be a major point of contention between the parties.
Ms. Giuffre claims she was a victim of human trafficking.
Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly trafficked Ms Giuffre to the prince.
He has always refuted the allegations.
Despite the fact that the prince is not named in the settlement, his attorneys claim that she cannot sue him because she promised to drop all legal action against anyone associated to the criminal who could be classified as a "possible defendant" in 2009.
"Giuffre referred to 'royalty' in her 2009 claim [against Jeffrey Epstein], and that indicates Prince Andrew was covered by the arrangement," a source in Prince Andrew's legal team claimed.
Maxwell was convicted last week of recruiting and trafficking young girls to be abused by the late financier, while Epstein died in prison in 2019.
The specifics of the Florida settlement, however, are immaterial to Ms Giuffre's complaint against the Prince, which alleges sexual assault by the monarch in New York, London, and the US Virgin Islands, according to her legal team.
Ms Giuffre's lawyers claimed in 2009 that she was enticed into a world of sexual abuse at Epstein's Florida mansion when she was a teenager.
"In addition to being sexually exploited by defendant's adult male peers, including royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen, and or other professional and personal acquaintances, [Ms Giuffre] was also required to be sexually exploited by defendant's adult male peers, including royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen, and or other professional and personal acquaintances," they added.
Because Jeffrey Epstein agreed to pay her $500,000 on November 17, 2009, the lawsuit was never brought to trial.
That matter was never brought to trial because Jeffrey Epstein agreed to pay her $500,000 to put an end to it on November 17, 2009. That deal had been kept under wraps until now, but it has finally been made public because of its potential significance in the Prince Andrew case.
Ms Giuffre, also known as Roberts, agreed to "free, acquit, satisfy, and eternally discharge" Epstein and "any other person or entity who could have been listed as a possible defendant" in the document.
According to the terms of the agreement, she releases "possible defendants" from any US legal action, including damages claims dating "from the beginning of time."