NEW YORK (AP) – A previously sealed $500,000 lawsuit settlement in 2009 between Jeffrey Epstein and an American woman that Prince Andrew claims protects him from an ongoing lawsuit was made public Monday.
The deal between Epstein and Virginia Roberts, now known as Virginia Giuffre, contained a paragraph that said it protects anyone “who could have been included as a potential defendant” from lawsuits filed by Giuffre.
In August, Giuffre sued the prince, saying he had sexually assaulted her multiple times when she was 17.
The prince maintains assaults never happened and his lawyers have challenged the lawsuit on multiple grounds, including by saying 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. Oral arguments were scheduled to occur Tuesday over the challenge.
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.